Surface Water and Cable Management with ACO

ACO's competency in urban railway platform surface water and cable management

ACO's drainage and cable management products are designed to be seamlessly integrated into urban environments while leaving a minimal footprint. One of the more unique applications for ACO products are railway platforms and adjoining landscaped areas. The combined presence of pedestrians, workmen, station staff, vehicles (trains, cars and buses) presents designers with a number of challenges that need to be overcome. This article provides a summary of these challenges and examples of where ACO products have provided solutions.

Linear Trench Drainage for Platforms
On platforms a flat walking surface is required for safe passage of thousands of commuters yearly. However when there are no gradients, water can easily pool and create puddles during storms. Furthermore, if surfaces are smooth, there could be slip hazards for people. These hazards needed to be addressed at the Richlands Railway Station, part of the Queensland Rail City train network. Whilst harmonising with the requirements of a flat slab, designers required a drain that was long enough to adequately intercept all the surface water along the length of the platform. ACO's KlassikDrain trench drain was therefore specified in combination with Heelsafe® Anti-Slip grates to provide a fully-functional drainage system with adequate slip resistance. To ensure that stormwater, once captured, could flow drain towards the outlets in the trench run, channels were assembled in a sloped configuration.

In contrast, designers of Wayville Train Station, Adelaide needed a compact platform drainage system that could also cope with large volumes of regular passengers, their prams, wheelchairs, and bicycles. This was an example of the successful integration of ACO’s compact drainage products in a railway platform where a high number of concealed cables existed. Overcoming these complex requirements, the designers specified ACO’s SlabDrain with Iron Intercept Heelsafe ®Anti-Slip grates.