Verton's SpinPod resolves the issue of spoil double-handling for Cross River Rail

The Verton ‘Everest SpinPod 7.5’ (SpinPod) is a remote-controlled load orientation device that eliminates the need for human-held taglines, traditionally used to orientate a suspended load.

It uses gyroscopic technology to rotate loads in either direction, with a 20 – 100 tonne rotational capacity.

The SpinPod has been used at the @CrossRiverRail Albert Street main station entrance site since June 2021. The site is located in the heart of Brisbane city, surrounded by high density commercial and residential towers and busy inner-city streets.

The worksite involves excavating 50m down – the deepest undertaken in Brisbane’s history – necessary to house the future station building and access to underground rail platforms.

Verton manufactured a bespoke bar and spin pod suited to the weight of loads being lifted at Albert Street. Cross River Rail is the first major infrastructure project in Australia to use the Everest SpinPod 7.5.

The challenge

There are 19 props (retention bars) spanning throughout the main station entrance shaft. These props created physical barriers when lifting and lowering materials in and out of the shaft. The SpinPod overcame this barrier by:

• Using gyroscopic technology to precisely remote-control up and down movements of the loads
• Using a magnetic compass inside the SpinPod to hold alignment of the load away from the metal props.

This ensures loads are lifted up and down safely without contacting the props.

The Verton solution

The SpinPod resolved the issue of spoil double-handling, as it hooks on an oversized (six-and-a-half-metre long) shipping container which is lowered into the shaft, where it is loaded, lifted back to the surface and directly transported onto a haulage truck. The use of a shipping container also improved productivity by 400%.

The SpinPod is arguably the future of construction of structures within restricted construction sites.