Keeping Heritage on Track: SITECH Lends a Hand to the Yarra Valley Railway

The Yarra Valley in Victoria is renowned for its stunning wineries, rolling hills, and artisanal produce. It’s also home to a charming heritage railway undertaking Australia’s largest volunteer infrastructure project. Thanks to the incredible dedication of the Yarra Valley Railway (YVR), this not-for-profit organisation is rebuilding the full 14km stretch of railway from Healesville to Yarra Glen—a line originally built in the 1880s that once connected Healesville to Melbourne’s metro network.

A labour of love: Rebuilding History

For decades, this historic line has weathered floods, bushfires, and deteriorating infrastructure. Despite these challenges, volunteers laboured to keep it alive following its closure by the government-owned Victorian Railways in the 1980s, and the spirit of the railway lived on. Today, a passionate team of volunteers—many of whom are former or current railway workers—are breathing new life into the tracks. Partly funded by government grants and vital local donations, their hard work is evident. In fact, they’ve been tirelessly rebuilding bridges, meticulously preparing subgrade, digging new drains, laying and welding new line, and carefully placing ballast and sleepers. Furthermore, much of their material, including old rail carriages, rail, and sleepers, has been generously provided by the Victorian Government, often sourced from Level Crossing Removal Projects (LXRP).

The Vision: Connecting Communities Through Rail

The vision is inspiring: upon completion, the Yarra Valley Railway will once again ferry passengers on delightful tourist rides between Yarra Glen and Healesville, offering breathtaking views of local wineries, dairy farms, and art galleries.

The Challenge: GPS Limitations in Dense Terrain

However, even with machinery like a D6K CAT dozer equipped with a Trimble GCS900 GPS system, the YVR team recently hit a snag with inconsistent grading results. Specifically, the challenging Yarra Valley terrain—with its dense tree canopy and significant distances from VRS (Virtual Reference Station) bases, coupled with older 992 receivers—meant their GPS-guided system wasn’t delivering the precision they needed for critical subgrade preparation.

The SITECH Solution: Precision Through Innovation

Enter Phil Sherington from SITECH Construction Systems. On May 30th, Phil visited the YVR site to understand their challenges firsthand. Subsequently, he demonstrated a Universal Total Station (UTS) solution—a technology perfectly suited to overcome the GPS limitations in that specific environment. As a result, the UTS provides highly accurate, localised positioning, ideal for complex sites with potential signal obstructions.

Moving Forward: Progress on Track

The YVR team was incredibly satisfied with the demonstration and the immediate improvement in accuracy. Consequently, thanks to this timely intervention and the right technology, they’re now making fantastic progress with subgrade preparation, laying a solid foundation for the ballast and, ultimately, the track itself.

It’s a privilege for SITECH to support such a fantastic community-driven project. Indeed, the Yarra Valley Railway is more than just a railway—it’s a testament to dedication, heritage, and the vibrant future of the region. We look forward to seeing those tourist trains steaming through the valley!

To learn more about this incredible project, get involved as a volunteer or community partner, or to offer your support, please visit their website: https://www.yvr.org.au/

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