This consists of the preparation of the site before the major works commence. This work is often completed before the main equipment & temporary offices arrive onsite. Generally, consists of setting up erosion control in place, removals & clearing & grubbing.

Refer to HCI 100 Site Preparation

This can be the most under underestimated phase of the project. Light Rail Projects are normally constructed in congested metropolitan cities. This work consists of the relocation of wet utilities like storm, watermain & sanitary sewers as well as dry utilities like electrical transmission & street lighting. This phase of the project depends on the coordination with 3rd party utilities & often undergoes significant delays.

Refer to HCI 300 Sewer & Watermain

Refer to HCI 720 Roadway Lighting & Signals

Light Rail Projects are normally constructed in congested metropolitan cities. There are usually certain sections that require tunnels. Tunnels can be constructed by Cut & Cover methods or Underground Tunnel methods. Cut & Covers tunnels cause much more disruption to city traffic & existing utilities. Underground tunnels are usually constructed utilizing sophisticated Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs). Tunnel sections must be long enough to justify the mobilization of TBM equipment. Underground mining or sequential excavation methods are also an option for short sections of tunnel, unusual tunnel shapes or underground stations.

Refer to HCI 210 Support of Excavation

Refer to HCI 230 TBM Tunnels

Refer to HCI 240 Mined Tunnels

Refer to HCI 250 Underground Shafts & Caverns

Refer to HCI 270 Cut & Cover Tunnels

General shallow excavation, grading & ditching in preparation for placing sub-ballast & ballast utilizing smaller excavators with highway trucks. Excavation work is normally costed by per unit volume. When calculating quantities, it is important to understand how earth & rock material shrinks & swells. This is described in detail with the Basis of Estimate Flip Book.

Refer to HCI 180 Excavation & Backfill

On most light rail transit projects Mechanically Stabilized (MSE) Earth Walls are often used to retain the approach fills to elevated guideways. The overall unit costs in the assemblies are expressed as a unit cost per retained area.

Refer to HCI-214 Retaining Walls

Includes Support of Excavation, Station Excavation & Station Concrete. Station shoring is normally supported by soil anchors or struts. In high water table areas secant piles or diaphragm walls may be required

Refer to HCI 180 Excavation & Backfill

Refer to HCI 210 Support of Excavation

Refer to HCI-420-Cast in Place Concrete

Light Rail Transit Projects are normally located in downtown areas where it is required to elevate the track to carry it over numerous city streets. Guideways can be constructed with precast concrete girders, steel girders or post-tensioned precast segments. The segmental guideway option necessitates the mobilization of expensive launching equipment. The guideway must be of a significant length to make segmental concrete a cost-effective option.

The overall quantity of the elevated guideway is the length of track supported by the structure. The costs at the top level of the breakdown in the cost data is shown as a unit cost per track length. (track-feet or track-metre). When importing a complete structure, you can create a feasibility estimate by simply updating the resource rates & prorating the track length. Detailed estimates would require you to drill down into the lower levels of the breakdown & update the quantities.

Refer to HCI-420-Cast in Place Concrete

Refer to HCI-440-Elevated Guideways Structures

This work involves the placing of ballast, ties & track. This type of track can be located on retained fills, in exclusive right of ways, at grade in streets, in shored trenches & in rock tunnels. The work consists of subgrade preparation, placing sub-ballast, placing ballast, track surfacing & compaction, distributing rail, installing ties, installing track, track destressing & normalization, butt welding track, thermite welding track & final cleaning. Ballasted track is costed per track-foot (track-metre).

Refer to HCI-600-Light Rail Track & Catenary

Track that is installed on elevated guideways, in tunnels with concrete invert slabs or on at grade concrete slabs are fixed to the concrete using specially designed anchors & fixation hardware. To facilitate better drainage in some cases second stage concrete boxes called “Plinths” are cast on top of the primary structure and held down by stirrups.

Refer to HCI-600-Light Rail Track & Catenary

Most LRT systems run off overhead catenary wire supported off poles. The work consists of drilling poles bases, erecting pole masts, attaching cantilevers to the poles, tying down the poles with guys, installing terminations & anchors, stringing contact & messenger wire, attaching hangers, jumpers & other hardware along with system protection including grounding.

Refer to HCI-600-Light Rail Track & Catenary

The power is normally distributed to the poles via cables pulled through conduit stacked in prefabricated underground raceways. The power is controlled through a series of traction power substations (TPS) positioned at intervals along the track.

Refer to HCI-600-Light Rail Track & Catenary

Street lighting & signaling is required where the track intersects local street traffic.

Refer to HCI-720-Roadway Lighting & Signals

Its common for contractors to work extended hours included nights & weekends to accommodate working through city intersections. Work may often be restricted to non rush hours due to traffic restraints. Significant overtime is normally required.

Refer to HCI-010-Labor Rates for development of Overtime Rules

Light Rail Transit projects are normally constructed by national or international contractors. These contracts are constructed quite often by joint ventures consisting of 2-5 contractors. The projects can be as long as 100 miles (160 km) from one end to the other. Significant indirect facilities would be required including offsite & onsite travel costs

Refer to HCI-950 Urban Project Indirect Assemblies