About The Project 

Oaklands Railway Station upgrade is part of South Australia’s public transport modernisation program. The project transformed a standard railway platform into a contemporary transport hub featuring complex architectural steelwork, pedestrian bridge connections, and distinctive canopy structures.

This structural steel fabrication project required 200 tonnes of architectural steelwork, including bridge girder assemblies with anti-throw screen mullions, steel cladding systems, and 25 tonnes of specialised pedestrian bridge components. The project required close collaboration between construction modellers, architects, engineers, and contractors.

Our Solution

Oaklands Railway Station Project is a high profile striking architectural statement. It’s also a complex structure comprising around 200 tonnes of steelwork. Our client Macdow wanted to get the right contractor onto the team as the project’s program was of huge importance to the client and their client DPTI. The success of the project required an incredibly smooth run and some hard work. We knew from experience that if it was coordinated and planned right, and the total construction team were on the same page, we had every chance of producing the miracle that client was after.

We instigated weekly face to face meetings during the critical model development stage, attended by construction modeller, architect, engineering, Macdow, DPTI, ourselves, and any other trade that was relevant at each stage. Boweng believed that this was the key to the project’s success, as issues were worked through in real time, all parties providing input and allowing modelling to progress without being held back due to frustration of bouncing around in emails. 

However, the model hasn’t just progressed. The collaborative approach saw many smart design features adopted, not from any one person’s idea, but from a combination of everyone’s knowledge and varied perspectives mixed into developing the final solution. We also brought peace of mind to the technical requirements due to having been CC3 certified to the NSSCS for a year already prior to starting work.

Along with the canopy at Oaklands Crossing, Bowhill Engineering also supplied the pedestrian bridge in the form of two bridge girder assemblies including anti-throw screen mullions/infill panels, internal steel cladding, and external steel cladding with a total mass of 25 tonnes.

About Bowhill Engineering

Bowhill Engineering specialises in structural steel fabrication for public infrastructure and transport projects across Australia. Our metal fabrication expertise, CC3 certification, and collaborative approach to complex builds position us as a trusted partner for demanding projects.

  • End-to-end capability – Design optimisation, fabrication, surface treatment, and installation under one roof
  • Advanced manufacturing technology – Robotic welding systems, CNC machining, and automated fabrication equipment
  • Heavy lift capacity – Fabrication of components from 5 tonnes to 140 tonnes with overhead cranes up to 100 tonnes
  • Quality certifications – AS5131 CC3 structural steel fabrication, ISO9001, AS4801, ISO14001, Weld Australia AS3834.2
  • Regional strength, national reach – Based in South Australia, delivering to Victoria, NSW, NT, and across Australia
  • Collaborative partnerships – Working with major contractors including Fulton Hogan, Laing O’Rourke, McConnell Dowell, and engineering firms
  • Strong safety culture – Industry-leading safety record and environmental compliance on all projects

Together we thrive – investing in our people, technology, and regional communities to deliver structural steel solutions that matter.

Other Projects & Solutions

Darlington Bridge 3, 14 & Temporary Steelwork – Value engineering delivering $400,000 cost savings on bridge construction temporary works for SA’s largest road project

Inland Rail Bridge Short Street – Fabrication of 70-tonne high-strength steel bridge girders for Australia’s largest freight rail infrastructure project

Light River Bridge Replacement – Heavy bridge fabrication and installation for regional infrastructure upgrade

We opened the train station on Monday morning which was amazing to see.
Thank you for all your assistance to get to this point. Bowhill have been massive contributors to the project, delivering $1.5m of steel fabrication.

Bowhill’s input and interaction during the latter stages of the design phase provided the Project with some fabrication smarts which was of great benefit with both time and cost.

The detailing by Steve Wurst and Steve Bown was outstanding and they really took on the challenges put before them with the difficult geometry of the canopy structure.

The fabrication and coating performed at Bowhill’s workshop was completed to a high quality with minimal fuss and any hiccups were dealt with by Bowhill without the need for Project intervention. This is a great asset to have as a company and is exactly what the Project team is looking for in a subcontractor.

I look forward to working with Bowhill again on the next project.

Regards

Adam Downie | Site Engineer | Public Transport Projects Alliance

Project Details

Client: McConnell Dowell
Year: 2018-2019
Project Categories
  • Bridges
  • Compliance
  • Featured
  • Public infrastructure
  • Transport