Technical Note - TN 024: 2017: Ambient Environmental Conditions

Technical Note - TN 024: 2017
For queries regarding this document

standards@transport.nsw.gov.au
www.asa.transport.nsw.gov.au

Issued date: 12 July 2017
Effective date: 12 July 2017
Subject: Amendment to T MU EN 00005 ST Ambient

Environmental Conditions
This technical note is issued by the Asset Standards Authority (ASA) to notify updates to
T MU EN 00005 ST Ambient Environmental Conditions, version 1.0. The changes include the
following:
• addition of historical data on the environmental parameters of hail, frost and dust
• addition of reference to access historical data on bushfires
• addition of explanatory paragraphs concerning the need for more information for specific
asset types, and in particular localities
Much of the added historical data is taken from the standard T MU RS 17001 ST Environmental
Conditions for Rolling Stock, version 1.0. Some of the data taken from T MU RS 17001 ST will be
removed from the next version (2.0) of that standard.
1. Section 2.2 Application

Replace the contents of Section 2.2 with the following:
This document is to be used as a reference in other documents such as standards, guidelines

and technical specifications. Existing documents that define environmental conditions should be
amended to refer to this standard, as part of their periodic review cycles.
The climate range varies significantly across the metropolitan and regional areas of NSW
including significant variations within the Sydney metropolitan area. For this reason, stakeholders
should determine the range of ambient conditions that apply to the particular locality of any
particular project or asset.
The data presented herein may be insufficient for some asset types that require specific and
detailed design parameters (such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), surge
© State of NSW through Transport for NSW 2017 Page 1 of 6

protection, and materials design). For those cases, more data may be required for design
temperatures, humidity, lightning amplitude, detailed UV radiation and so on.
This standard is applicable to the TfNSW Transport Network and the NSW portion of interstate
networks between Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
Maps are shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4 in Appendix B.
It is likely that the existing and projected climatic conditions specified in this document will be
revised frequently. Therefore, this document should be reviewed at least every two years, and the
latest version referenced in other documents.
2. Section 6.7 Hail

Consideration shall be given to the effect of hail on assets. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM)
defines large hail as 20 mm or greater in diameter. The BoM reports that NSW has on average 45
occurrences of large hail each year (BoM, 2015).
Climate modelling suggests that large hail events are likely to become gradually more frequent
and more severe (Leslie et al, 2008).
Appendix C contains further data on historical hail events.
3. Section 6.8 Snow and frost

Snow regularly falls in the Blue Mountains and Southern Highlands in winter. The maximum
depth of snow shall be taken to be 250 mm.
Appendix D contains further data on the frequency of frost days.
4. Section 6.12.2 Dust

Replace the contents of Section 6.12.2 with the following:
Airborne dust concentrations shall be taken to be the following (OEH, 2016):
• 300 μg/m as a maximum 24 hour average PM10 concentration

3
• 22 μg/m as an average PM10 concentration

3
• 120 μg/m as a maximum 24 hour average PM2.5 concentration

3
• 7.9 μg/m as an average PM2.5 concentration, except in the Upper Hunter Valley
3
• 8.5 μg/m as an average PM2.5 concentration in the Upper Hunter Valley

3
Note that PM2.5 concentrations in the Upper Hunter Valley (that is, Singleton to Muswellbrook)
are listed separately due to the high level of coal dust that is frequently present.

Note that there was an extreme event (the eastern Australian dust storm), during which PM10
concentrations reached or exceeded 2000 μg/m across NSW and PM2.5 concentrations reached
3
or exceeded 200 μg/m across NSW.

3
5. Section 6.13 Bushfire risk

Bushfires in NSW are common, and equipment may be subject to fire exposure. The level of fire
protection should be assessed on a risk basis for each project and location.
The forest fire danger index (FFDI) presents a measure of risk of fire in Australian forests. The
variables that FFDI takes into account are the following:
• rainfall
• evaporation
• wind speed
• temperature
• humidity
Table 4 and Table 5 show FFDI information.
Table 4 - FFDI scale
Category Forest fire danger index

Catastrophic 100 +
Extreme 75 to 99
Severe 50 to 74
Very high 25 to 49
High 12 to 24
Low to Moderate 0 to 11
Table 5 - FFDI current annual statistics
Annual mean number of severe fire

Region Station Annual mean FFDI
weather days (FFDI >50)
Metropolitan Sydney Sydney Airport 5.5 1.4
Illawarra Nowra 5.2 1.1
Central Coast Williamtown 5.4 1.4
Hunter Williamtown 5.4 1.4
Central West and Orana Dubbo 10.3 3.1
South East and Tablelands Canberra 6.9 1.1

NSW is projected to experience an increase in average and severe fire weather in the future, with
increases projected to occur mainly in summer and spring (OEH 2016). Location-specific
information can be found on the Adapt NSW website (OEH 2016). Further information on
historical bushfire events can be found on the Australian Disaster Resilience Knowledge Hub
www.knowledge.aidr.org.au
6. Appendix C Historical hail events

Add the following new appendix after Appendix B:
The Bureau of Meteorology defines large hail as 20 mm or greater in diameter. BoM reports that
NSW on average has 45 occurrences of large hail each year as shown in Table 10. Extreme hail
events in NSW can be seen in Table 11.
Table 10 – Large hail events in NSW (1990 to 2003)
Region No. of reports of hail ≥ 20 mm (1990 to 2003)

Northern Rivers 90
Mid-North coast 7
Hunter 99
Metropolitan 110
Illawarra 41
South Coast 15
Northern Tablelands 70
Central Tablelands 70
Southern Tablelands 29
Northwest Slopes 49
Northwest Plains 17
Central West Slopes 27
Central West Plains 6
Southwest Slopes 20
Riverina 9
Upper Western 5
Lower Western 2
Table 11 – NSW extreme hail event examples
Region Date Hailstone diameter (mm)
Sydney (Metropolitan) Apr-99 90

Sydney (Metropolitan) Nov-00 70
Casino (Northern Rivers) Jan-01 70
Dubbo (Central West Slopes) Jan-01 40

Region Date Hailstone diameter (mm)
Kingscliff (Northern Rivers) Jan-02 70

Walcha (Northern Tablelands) Oct-02 60
Snow regularly falls in the elevated parts of the TfNSW Transport Network such as the Blue
Mountains and the Southern Highlands. Data on snow was not available from the BoM at the time
of publication.
7. Appendix D Frequency of frost days

Add the following new appendix after Appendix C:
The occurrence of frost days is given in Table 12 and Table 13 for the TfNSW heavy rail network.
Table 12 – Frost days for regional areas
Line Mean annual days ≤ 0(°C)

Southern Highlands 65
South Coast 1
Blue Mountains 50
Hunter 23
Central Coast & Newcastle 2
Table 13 – Frost days for suburban areas
Line Mean annual days ≤ 0(°C)

T1 North Shore, Northern and
16
Western
T2 Airport, Inner West &
18
South
T3 Bankstown 2
T4 Eastern Suburbs &
0
Illawarra
T5 Cumberland 4
T6 Carlingford 1
T7 Olympic Park 0

Authorisation:
Technical content Checked and Interdisciplinary Authorised for
prepared by approved by coordination release
checked by
Signature
Date
Name Sheila Anderson Nicholas Mountford Peter J McGregor Jagath Peiris
Position Manager A/Director A/Chief Engineer A/Director
Environmental Safety Quality Network Standards
Services Environment & Risk and Services

T MU EN 00005 ST
Standard
Ambient Environmental Conditions
Version 1.0
Issued date: 29 March 2017
© State of NSW through Transport for NSW 2017

T MU EN 00005 ST
Version 1.0
Important message
This document is one of a set of standards developed solely and specifically for use on Transport Assets (as defined in the Asset
Standards Authority Charter). It is not suitable for any other purpose.
The copyright and any other intellectual property in this document will at all times remain the property of the State of New South Wales
(Transport for NSW).
You must not use or adapt this document or rely upon it in any way unless you are providing products or services to a NSW
Government agency and that agency has expressly authorised you in writing to do so. If this document forms part of a contract with, or
is a condition of approval by a NSW Government agency, use of the document is subject to the terms of the contract or approval. To be
clear, the content of this document is not licensed under any Creative Commons Licence.
This document may contain third party material. The inclusion of third party material is for illustrative purposes only and does not
represent an endorsement by NSW Government of any third party product or service.
If you use this document or rely upon it without authorisation under these terms, the State of New South Wales (including Transport for
NSW) and its personnel does not accept any liability to you or any other person for any loss, damage, costs and expenses that you or
anyone else may suffer or incur from your use and reliance on the content contained in this document. Users should exercise their own
skill and care in the use of the document.
This document may not be current and is uncontrolled when printed or downloaded. Standards may be accessed from the Asset
Standards Authority website at www.asa.transport.nsw.gov.au.

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Standard governance
Owner: Manager Environmental Services, Asset Standards Authority
Authoriser: Principal Manager, Safety Quality Environment and Risk, Asset Standards Authority
Approver: Executive Director, Asset Standards Authority on behalf of the ASA Configuration Control
Board
Document history
Version Summary of changes
1.0 First issue
For queries regarding this document,

please email the ASA at
standards@transport.nsw.gov.au
or visit www.asa.transport.nsw.gov.au

T MU EN 00005 ST
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Preface
The Asset Standards Authority (ASA) is a key strategic branch of Transport for NSW (TfNSW).
As the network design and standards authority for NSW Transport Assets, as specified in the
ASA Charter, the ASA identifies, selects, develops, publishes, maintains and controls a suite of
requirements documents on behalf of TfNSW, the asset owner.
The ASA deploys TfNSW requirements for asset and safety assurance by creating and
managing TfNSW's governance models, documents and processes. To achieve this, the ASA
focuses on four primary tasks:
• publishing and managing TfNSW's process and requirements documents including TfNSW
plans, standards, manuals and guides
• deploying TfNSW's Authorised Engineering Organisation (AEO) framework
• continuously improving TfNSW’s Asset Management Framework
• collaborating with the Transport cluster and industry through open engagement
The AEO framework authorises engineering organisations to supply and provide asset related
products and services to TfNSW. It works to assure the safety, quality and fitness for purpose of
those products and services over the asset's whole-of-life. AEOs are expected to demonstrate
how they have applied the requirements of ASA documents, including TfNSW plans, standards
and guides, when delivering assets and related services for TfNSW.
Compliance with ASA requirements by itself is not sufficient to ensure satisfactory outcomes for
NSW Transport Assets. The ASA expects that professional judgement be used by competent
personnel when using ASA requirements to produce those outcomes.
About this document

This document defines the ambient environmental conditions in which TfNSW assets will
operate, and for which they need to be designed. This document covers heavy rail and light rail,
and includes some projections of future environmental conditions, where available and relevant.
It is intended that this document can be referred to by other TfNSW documents such as
standards and specifications.
It is intended that future versions of this document will cover other transport modes (such as
buses and ferries), and will update the climate projections as required.

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Table of contents
1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 6
2. Purpose .................................................................................................................................................... 6
2.1. Scope ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
2.2. Application ............................................................................................................................................. 7
3. Reference documents ............................................................................................................................. 8
4. Terms and definitions ........................................................................................................................... 10
5. Climate change projections.................................................................................................................. 11
6. Environmental conditions .................................................................................................................... 11
6.1. Microclimates ....................................................................................................................................... 12
6.2. Altitude ................................................................................................................................................. 12
6.3. Temperature ........................................................................................................................................ 12
6.4. Humidity ............................................................................................................................................... 14
6.5. Wind ..................................................................................................................................................... 14
6.6. Rain ...................................................................................................................................................... 14
6.7. Hail ....................................................................................................................................................... 15
6.8. Snow and frost ..................................................................................................................................... 15
6.9. Solar radiation ...................................................................................................................................... 15
6.10. UV radiation ..................................................................................................................................... 17
6.11. Lightning .......................................................................................................................................... 18
6.12. Pollution ........................................................................................................................................... 18
6.13. Bushfire risk ..................................................................................................................................... 20
6.14. Sea level rise ................................................................................................................................... 21
6.15. Coastal flooding projections for Sydney .......................................................................................... 21
6.16. Flora and fauna ................................................................................................................................ 22
6.17. Track ballast..................................................................................................................................... 24
Appendix A Comparison with EN 50125 series ................................................................................... 25
Appendix B Maps .................................................................................................................................... 26

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1. Introduction
The intent of this document is to define the general environmental conditions in which Transport
for NSW (TfNSW) heavy and light rail assets will operate. In keeping with TfNSW’s risk based
approach to standards, and in consideration of the long life of many rail assets, this document
includes some projections of future environmental conditions, where available and appropriate,
based on modelling by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage.
This document can be referenced as required by other standards, guidelines, contract

specifications and so on to ensure a consistent set of environmental conditions. Future and
projected changes to environmental conditions can then be integrated into all those documents
by updating this document.
2. Purpose
The purpose of this document is to define a single, consistent set of existing environmental
conditions for TfNSW heavy rail and light rail assets, and include some projections of future
environmental conditions. This document should be referenced in all other relevant documents,
and by all planners, designers, operators and maintainers of the assets.
2.1. Scope
Section 2.1.1 and Section 2.1.2 provide details on what is in this document's scope and what is
outside of that scope.
2.1.1. In scope
This document covers natural environmental parameters that are relevant to TfNSW heavy rail
and light rail assets. The defined environmental conditions are considered as normal in service,
and are the general ambient conditions. Microclimates surrounding components may differ. The
existing environmental conditions are based on publicly available historical data.
This document covers the definitions and ranges of the following parameters:
• altitude
• temperature
• humidity
• wind
• rain
• snow and hail
• solar radiation

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• lightning
• pollution
• bushfire risk
• sea level rise and coastal flooding
• flora and fauna
• track ballast
As well as existing conditions, this document includes projections of some parameters that may
be affected by climate change. These projections are based on climate change scenario
modelling undertaken by NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. Consideration of these
projections will help ensure design of assets adapts to climate change.
2.1.2. Out of scope

Fixed high voltage (HV) and traction power supply electrical power equipment are beyond the
scope of this document. For this equipment, refer to TfNSW standard EP 00 00 00 13 SP
Electrical Power Equipment – Design Ranges of Ambient Conditions and the relevant TfNSW
electrical standards for particular equipment.
Environmental conditions within equipment housing and other artificial structures are beyond
the scope of this document. For these conditions, refer to relevant standards for particular
equipment.
Microclimates such as in tunnels, stabling yards and so on are briefly discussed but are beyond
the scope of this document.
Other transport modes are beyond the scope of this document at this stage. Other
environmental parameters (such as sea level information for ferries) and geographical areas
(such as rural areas of NSW for some buses, although rural areas covered by the NSW Trains
networks are in scope) would be relevant to other modes. At a later stage, this standard may be
extended to cover other transport modes relevant to TfNSW.
In general, human-made environmental conditions such as electromagnetic compatibility

(EMC), cleaning chemicals and flooding which results from exceedance of drainage capacity
are out of scope. For EMC requirements, refer to AS/RISSB 7722:2016 EMC Management.
2.2. Application
This document is to be used as a reference in other documents such as standards, guidelines
and technical specifications. Existing documents that define environmental conditions should be
amended to refer to this standard, as part of their periodic review cycles.

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The data presented herein may be insufficient for some asset types that require specific and
detailed design parameters (such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)). For
those cases, more data may be required for design temperatures, humidity and so on.
This standard is applicable to the TfNSW Transport Network and the NSW portion of interstate
networks between Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
Maps are shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4 in Appendix B.
It is likely that the existing and projected climatic conditions specified in this document will be
revised frequently. Therefore, this document should be reviewed at least every two years, and
the latest version referenced in other documents.
3. Reference documents
The following documents are cited in the text. For dated references, only the cited edition
applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document applies.
International standards
EN 50125-1:2014 Railway applications – Environmental conditions for equipment – Part 1:

Rolling stock and on-board equipment

Fixed electrical installations

Equipment for signalling and telecommunications
Note that as the EN 50125 series has been widely used by the international rail
industry, Appendix A includes a comparison between this document and the
EN 50125 series regarding certain common parameters.
IEC 60721-1:2002 Classification of environmental conditions - Part 1: Environmental

parameters and their severities
Australian standards
AS 4312-2008 Atmospheric corrosivity zones in Australia
AS 5334-2013 Climate change adaptation for settlements and infrastructure – A risk based
approach
AS/NZS 1170.2 Structural design actions – Part 2: Wind actions
AS/RISSB 7722:2016 EMC Management
Transport for NSW standards
9TP-SD-081 TfNSW Climate Risk Assessment Guidelines

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EP 00 00 00 13 SP Electrical Power Equipment – Design Ranges of Ambient Conditions
T HR CI 12105 ST Vegetation Hazard Management in the Rail Corridor
Other reference documents
Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) 2003, The Estimation of Probable Maximum

Precipitation in Australia: Generalised Short-Duration Method,
http://www.bom.gov.au/water/designRainfalls/pmp/document/GSDM.pdf
Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) 2016, Australian Climate Observations Reference

Network – Surface Air Temperature (ACORN-SAT) data, ACORN-SAT data from 2015/2016,
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/change/acorn-sat/
Note that TfNSW also used climate data purchased from the BoM in the creation of
this standard.
Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) Manual DA09 Air
Conditioning Load Estimation
CoastAdapt 2016, Sea-level rise information for all Australian coastal councils,
https://coastadapt.com.au/sea-level-rise-information-all-australian-coastal-councils
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) 2015a, Sea Level
Rise, sea level projections web page, http://www.cmar.csiro.au/sealevel/sl_proj_21st.html
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) 2015b, Climate

Change in Australia: Projections for Australia's NRM Regions, Technical Report,
https://www.climatechangeinaustralia.gov.au
Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) 2010, Impacts of Climate
Change on Natural Hazards Profile: Sydney/Central Coast Region, technical report,
http://www.climatechange.environment.nsw.gov.au
Engineers Australia and Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia) 2016, Australian

Rainfall and Runoff (ARR) 2016, national guideline
Hunter, J 2011, A simple technique for estimating an allowance for uncertain sea-level rise,
Climatic Change, DOI 10.1007/s10584-011-0332-1,
http://canute2.sealevelrise.info/access/repository/resource/101fbc80-fcfd-102f-998b-
40404adc5e91/hunter_2011_author_created_version_merged.pdf
Leslie, LM, Leplastrier, M, Buckley, B 2008, 'Estimating future trends in severe hailstorms over
the Sydney Basin: A climate modelling study', Atmospheric Research, vol. 87, no. 1, pp. 37-51
NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) 2016, Search air quality data,
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/AQMS/search.htm
NSW Office of Environment and Heritage/Adapt NSW (OEH) 2015, NSW Climate Change
Downloads, New South Wales Climate Change snapshot,

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http://climatechange.environment.nsw.gov.au/Climate-projections-for-NSW/Climate-projections-
for-your-region/NSW-Climate-Change-Downloads
NSW Office of Environment and Heritage/Adapt NSW (OEH) 2016, Adapt NSW Home, entry
point to NARCliM tool, http://climatechange.environment.nsw.gov.au
4. Terms and definitions

The following terms and definitions apply in this document:
adaptation changes made in response to the likely threats and opportunities arising from
climate variability and climate change
AEP annual exceedance probability
AIRAH Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating
ambient environmental conditions physical, chemical or biological condition, external to a

product to which it is subjected at a certain time
ARPANSA Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency
ARR Australian Rainfall and Runoff
BOM Bureau of Meteorology
climate average weather based on the statistical description in terms of the mean and
variability of relevant quantities, such as temperature, precipitation and wind, over an extended
period of time
climate change a statistically significant variation in either the mean state of the climate or in its
variability, persisting for an extended period (typically decades or longer)
climate change scenario difference between a climate scenario and the current climate
climate scenario coherent, plausible description of a possible future state of the climate
CSIRO Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
DECCW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water
EMC electromagnetic compatibility
EPA NSW Environment Protection Authority
FFDI forest fire danger index
GHI Global horizontal irradiance
HVAC heating, ventilation and air conditioning
NARCliM NSW and ACT Regional Climate Modelling
PMP probable maximum precipitation

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TfNSW Transport Network the transport system owned and operated by TfNSW or its
operating agencies upon which TfNSW has power to exercise its functions as conferred by the
Transport Administration Act or any other Act
5. Climate change projections

Climate projections (CSIRO 2015b) indicate that under all future emissions scenarios the
following will occur:
• average and extreme temperatures will continue to increase
• extreme rainfall events are likely to become more intense
• there will be continued sea level rise
Therefore long lifespan infrastructure needs to be designed, constructed and operated to cope
with projected hotter, drier and stormier climatic conditions and with projected higher sea levels.
Where available, projections of changes to parameters have been included in this document.
These projections are based on climate change scenarios developed by the NSW Office of
Environment and Heritage (Adapt NSW, 2016). Where no climate change projections are
included, then climate change is either irrelevant, or there is no significant projected difference.
The science of climate change is continually changing. The projections in this document are
included for general guidance only. Climate projections should be addressed on a case-by-case
or project basis only. Up to date, location-specific advice can be found on the Adapt NSW
website.
Published climate change projections for a particular asset for the end of its forecast useful life
should be adopted where available. Rail assets have a range of expected design lives, typically
from 10 to 100 years. The available climate modelling is only run for specific periods, generally
50 years at most, and thus projections of some parameters may not be available for the end of
an asset’s forecast life.
In some cases, the likelihood of events may change rather than the magnitude of the event (that
is, more frequent, rather than bigger events). Where such events are incorporated in designs
using a risk based approach, it may be necessary to adjust the annual exceedance probability
(AEP). 9TP-SD-081 TfNSW Climate Risk Assessment Guidelines and AS 5334-2013 Climate
change adaptation for settlements and infrastructure – A risk based approach should be used to
manage climate risks to assets.
6. Environmental conditions
In Section 6.1 to Section 6.17, the environmental parameters are given at which the assets shall
function as normal. The values specified are maximum or limiting values and have a low
probability of being exceeded. Depending on the situation, there may be different frequencies of

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exceedances. Where the values are based on historical data, extreme and unusual values have
not been included.
Combinations of the environmental parameters given may increase the effect on an asset. This
applies especially to the presence of high relative humidity in addition to biological or chemical
conditions.
It is recognised that extreme or special environmental conditions may exist. Specifications for
assets to operate under such special conditions shall be specified in any relevant contracts
between supplier and purchaser, and between owner and operator.
Assets should be designed to meet requirements in the current environmental conditions and
the environmental conditions projected to occur during the expected asset life.
6.1. Microclimates
It shall be taken into account that the air temperature in special locations such as rail cuttings,
tunnels, stabling yards, near ballast and track, and adjacent to equipment, buildings and rolling
stock may significantly exceed the prevailing air temperatures. Temperatures up to 20 °C more
than the prevailing air temperatures have been recorded above train roofs.
Other conditions that may cause environmental parameters to fall outside the values noted in
this standard may include wind tunnels, concentration of solar radiation from equipment and so
on.
In these cases, the actual conditions should be established (for example, by monitoring), and
these should be used in place of the conditions stated in this document, with a proportionate
allowance for climate change.
6.2. Altitude
The altitude relative to sea level at which the assets shall perform as specified is –32 m to
1150 m (electrified lines) or 1400 m (all lines).
6.3. Temperature
Current and projected ambient temperatures are outlined in Section 6.3.1, Section 6.3.2 and
Section 6.3.3. However, this data is provided as a guide only. The appropriate temperature
range for individual asset life, performance and geographical location shall be assessed on a
case-by-case basis.
6.3.1. Current temperatures

The external ambient air temperature ranges generally experienced in various geographical
locations are specified in Table 1. The areas described below are shown on Figure 5 in
Appendix B.

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Table 1 – Guideline temperature ranges (2015/2016)
Geographical Areas Air temperature No of days No of days

description (in °C) >35 °C >40 °C
Coastal region Sydney metropolitan -10 to +46 13 4
Coastal region Hunter (Williamtown) -10 to +45 28 7
Coastal region Illawarra (Nowra) -10 to +45.5 14 4
Coastal region Jervis Bay (Point -10 to +42 22 4
Perpendicular)
Far western Richmond -12 to +48 32 10
Sydney
Far west Central West, Lower -10 to +47 61 23
Western, Broken Hill
Source: Bureau of Meteorology, ACORN-SAT data.
For HVAC design, the above temperature and humidity requirements may be
insufficient, and further data can be sourced from the Australian Institute of
Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) Manual DA9 Air Conditioning
Load Estimation.
On extreme hot days, temperatures can exceed 40 °C for up to 8 hours.
6.3.2. Projected temperatures for coastal regions

Guideline projected increases in temperatures for the Sydney metropolitan coastal region are
provided in Table 2. A proportionate increase for other areas is expected.
Table 2 – Guideline external ambient temperature projections
Parameter Current 2030 2070

Maximum ambient air temp 46 °C 46.5 °C 48 °C
Ave days >35 °C per year 13 16 28
Ave days >40 °C per year 4 4 8
Source: NSW Office of Environment and Heritage/Adapt NSW (NARCliM data).
6.3.3. Urban heat island

Changes in land use have the potential to double the temperature increases caused by climate
change in urban environments (Adapt NSW, 2016). Thus, the guideline temperatures in Table 2
for 2030 and beyond may be significantly different to the actual temperatures due to the urban
heat island and land use change effects. The climatic effects of changes in land use should be
taken into account in design and planning for future conditions, especially in areas that are
currently or likely to be highly urbanised areas in the future.

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6.4. Humidity
Data taken over 12 months (May 2014 to April 2015) from the Sydney CBD showed that the
following occurred at 9 am:
• the average relative humidity was less than 70%
• the maximum relative humidity was 98%
• the highest number of sequential days with relative humidity greater than 65% was 18
• the highest number of sequential days with relative humidity greater than 75% was 10
• there were 141 days with relative humidity greater than 75%
• there were 27 days with relative humidity greater than 90%
Source: BoM 2015.
At cooled surfaces, 100% relative humidity may occur, causing condensation on parts of
equipment. This may occur when vehicles enter or leave a tunnel, when stationary powered
devices switch off, or during the transition from day to night. Humidity can drop below 15%, and
to as low as 5%, in conjunction with temperatures above 40 °C.
6.5. Wind
The maximum wind speed for ordinary operations shall be assumed to be 35 m/s.
Source: BOM, 2015.
All equipment, for ordinary operations, shall operate correctly at that wind speed. Higher wind
speed up to 45 m/s may occur. In this case, the equipment performance may be temporarily
affected but no permanent damage shall occur.
Wind load for stationary structures can be determined from Australian Standard AS/NZS 1170.2
Structural design actions – Part 2: Wind actions.
In general, it is expected that in the near future (by 2030) changes to mean wind speed will be
small compared with natural variability (CSIRO, 2015). In the longer term, small decreases are
projected (CSIRO, 2015b).
Projections of wind speed change due to climate change were delivered through the NSW and
ACT Regional Climate Modelling project (NARCliM), with wind speed projection data available
through the Climate Data Portal on the Adapt NSW website.
6.6. Rain
Rainfall intensity varies with the duration of the event. Australian Rainfall and Runoff (ARR)
should be referenced for rainfall predictions, flooding calculations and intensity-frequency-
duration (IFD) for any specific area.

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Probable maximum precipitation (PMP) values for NSW were calculated using the generalised
short-duration method (GSDM) (BoM, 2003) and are the following:
•
2
duration 0.25 hour – average PMP intensity for 1 km is 13 mm/min
•
2
duration 1 hour – average PMP intensity for 1 km is 7 mm/min
When considering rain, both wind and vehicle movements shall be taken into account. Projected
changes in rainfall due to climate change should be taken from Chapter 6 (Climate Change
Considerations) of Book 1 of Australian Rainfall and Runoff (ARR). Given the uncertainty in
rainfall projections and their considerable regional variability, an increase in rainfall (intensity or
depth) of 5% per degree Celsius of local warming is recommended (ARR, 2016).
6.7. Hail
Consideration shall be given to the effect of hail on assets. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM)
defines large hail as 20 mm or greater in diameter. The BoM reports that NSW has on average
45 occurrences of large hail each year (BoM, 2015).
Climate modelling suggests that large hail events are likely to become gradually more frequent
and more severe (Leslie et al, 2008).
6.8. Snow and frost

Snow regularly falls in the Blue Mountains and Southern Highlands in winter. The maximum
depth of snow shall be taken to be 250 mm.
6.9. Solar radiation

2
The annual mean daily global solar exposure for the Sydney area is 4.5 kWh/m . The highest
2
Sydney area daily global solar exposure is 8 kWh/m . The maximum level of solar radiation is
2
1130 W/m for equipment directly exposed.
The solar radiation intensity for each hour during summer is defined in Table 3. The hourly
global horizontal irradiance for the Sydney CBD is illustrated in Figure 1. Solar radiation affects
rolling stock temperatures by heat gain through windows and other vehicle body surfaces. Solar
radiation may affect the service life of exposed materials including polymers and fabrics.
Table 3 - Summer hourly global horizontal irradiance
Sydney
Location Newcastle Goulburn Bomaderry
(CBD) Bathurst Scone
33.8650° S, 33.4200° S, 32.0833° S, 32.9167° S, 34.7547° S, 34.8500° S,
Coordinates
151.2094° E 149.5778° E 150.8500° E 151.7500° E 149.6186° E 150.6167° E

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Sydney
Location Newcastle Goulburn Bomaderry
(CBD) Bathurst Scone
Global Global Global Global Global Global
horizontal horizontal horizontal horizontal horizontal horizontal
Measure
irradiance irradiance irradiance irradiance irradiance irradiance
2 2 2 2 2 2
(W/m ) (W/m ) (W/m ) (W/m ) (W/m ) (W/m )
Hour (24hr) 1/01/2015 1/01/2015 1/01/2015 1/01/2015 1/01/2015 1/01/2015
5:00:00 23.4 4 n/a n/a 38.3 41.6
6:00:00 633.6 624.7 610.4 619.4 638.4 639.3
7:00:00 873.6 871.1 866.9 869.5 875 875.3
8:00:00 995.7 995.1 994.1 994.7 996 996
9:00:00 1064 1064.1 1064.3 1064.2 1063.8 1063.8
10:00:00 1102.1 1102.6 1103.2 1102.8 1101.8 1101.8
11:00:00 1121.5 1122 1122.8 1122.4 1121.1 1121.1
12:00:00 1127.7 1128.3 1129.1 1128.6 1127.4 1127.3
13:00:00 1122.8 1123.3 1124.1 1123.6 1122.4 1122.3
14:00:00 1105 1105.5 1106.2 1105.8 1104.8 1104.7
15:00:00 1069.4 1069.6 1069.8 1069.7 1069.2 1069.2
16:00:00 1005.2 1004.8 1003.9 1004.5 1005.5 1005.5
17:00:00 891 888.8 885.1 887.4 892.1 892.4
18:00:00 670 662.3 649.9 657.7 674.1 675
19:00:00 116.9 84.7 37.3 66.2 134.3 137.7

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Sydney CBD Hourly Global Horizontal Irradiance (W/m2)

1200
1000
Sydney
CBD
800 Summe
r
GHI (W/m2)
600 Sydney
CBD
Winter
400
200
0
0:00:00 4:00:00 8:00:00 12:00:00 16:00:00 20:00:00
Time (24hr)
Figure 1 - Sydney CBD hourly global horizontal irradiance
Note: Global horizontal irradiance (GHI) is the sum of direct normal solar irradiance
and diffuse horizontal irradiance. GHI was calculated through PV Lighthouse, which
provides simulations for solar statistics. It can be seen that all sites show a consistent
value in Table 3. PV Lighthouse is an online solar simulator developed by the
University of NSW and PV Lighthouse Australia.
6.10. UV radiation
The effect of UV radiation on equipment or materials exposed to solar radiation shall be
considered. Detailed UV radiation data can be obtained from the Australian Radiation Protection
and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA).
ARPANSA publishes a UV Index model that is an indication of the maximum daily level of
ultraviolet radiation (UVR) expected at ground level on a cloudless day. ARPANSA calculates
the models for each site using a computer modelling program that considers, among other
parameters, the time of year and averaged ozone values.
Figure 2 displays the monthly average UV Index value that can be expected at solar noon
(when the sun is highest in the sky) in Sydney. On the graph, each month is shown as two two-
week blocks. The actual values could be slightly higher or lower than the averaged model
depending on ozone levels and atmospheric conditions, particularly cloud cover.

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Figure 2 – Monthly average UV Index for Sydney
Source: ARPANSA website access 2/3/2017. © Commonwealth of Australia as

represented by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency
(ARPANSA) 2017.
In terms of climate change, annual radiation observations in Australia show a high year-to-year
variability with no significant long-term change (only a very weak increase) during the latter half
of the 20th century. Such high variability remains strong compared to the greenhouse gas
induced climate change signal out to 2100. Projected increases in solar radiation are generally
less than 1% (Source: CSIRO, 2015b).
6.11. Lightning
The Sydney/Central Coast region (shown at Figure 6 in Appendix B) currently has an average
of 20 to 25 days per year that experience thunder, with a frequency of lightning strikes of 2 to 3
2
per km per year (DECCW, 2010).
Projections due to climate change are uncertain, but an increase of 5% to 6% per °C of local
warming is recommended (DECCW, 2010).
6.12. Pollution
Equipment will be in contact with the atmosphere that will generally be polluted. Pollutants may
include diesel engine exhaust products and brake dust, and may be chemically active
(corrosive), conductive or inert.
All equipment shall operate correctly in a dust-laden atmosphere.

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Chemically active pollutants may occur in coastal areas (salt-laden atmosphere) or in industrial
or mining areas. In the latter cases, gases (especially compounds of sulphur and nitrogen) may
dissolve in condensation or themselves condense in or on equipment. A comprehensive range
of significant chemically active airborne substances is given in Part 4 of Table 1, IEC 60721-
1:2002 Classification of environmental conditions – Part 1: Environmental parameters and their
severities. Equipment shall be protected against the effects of such corrosive substances. The
effects of pollution shall be considered in the design of equipment and components.
In NSW, the pollutants of concern are the following:
• ozone
• dust
• chemical pollutants
• salt
The data in Section 6.12.1 to Section 6.12.4 is from the NSW Office of Environment and
Heritage (OEH) website, accessed 2016 (OEH, 2016).
6.12.1. Ozone
One-hour average ozone concentrations shall be taken to be the following:
• 18 pphm as a maximum 1 hour average
• 2 pphm as an annual average
6.12.2. Dust
Airborne dust concentrations shall be taken to be the following (OEH, 2016):
•
3
300 µg/m as a maximum 24 hour average PM10 concentration
•
3
22 µg/m as an average PM10 concentration
•
3
120 µg/m as a maximum 24 hour average PM2.5 concentration
•
3
7.9 µg/m as an average PM2.5 concentration, except in the Upper Hunter Valley
•
3
8.5 µg/m as an average PM2.5 concentration in the Upper Hunter Valley
Note that PM2.5 concentrations in the Upper Hunter Valley (that is, Singleton to Muswellbrook)
are listed separately due to the high level of coal dust that is frequently present.
6.12.3. Chemical pollutants

Sulphur dioxide annual maximum shall be taken to be 20 pphm in the Hunter Valley and 5 pphm
elsewhere. The annual average shall be taken to be 0.17 pphm in the Upper Hunter and
0.1 pphm elsewhere.

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Nitrogen dioxide annual maximum shall be taken to be 8 pphm, and the annual average shall be
taken to be 1 pphm.
6.12.4. Salt
Airborne chlorides from sea spray can cause atmospheric corrosion. Refer to Figures A2, A4
and 4.1 in AS 4312-2008 Atmospheric corrosivity zones in Australia for corrosivity and highly
corrosive zones.
6.13. Bushfire risk

Bushfires in NSW are common, and equipment may be subject to fire exposure. The level of fire
protection should be assessed on a risk basis for each project and location.
The forest fire danger index (FFDI) presents a measure of risk of fire in Australian forests. The
variables that FFDI takes into account are the following:
• rainfall
• evaporation
• wind speed
• temperature
• humidity
Table 4 and Table 5 show FFDI information.
Table 4 - FFDI scale
Category Forest fire danger index

Catastrophic 100 +
Extreme 75 – 99
Severe 50 – 74
Very High 25 – 49
High 12 – 24
Low–Moderate 0 – 11
Table 5 - FFDI current annual statistics

Metropolitan Sydney Sydney Airport 5.5 1.4
Illawarra Nowra 5.2 1.1
Central Coast Williamtown 5.4 1.4

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Hunter Williamtown 5.4 1.4
Central West and Orana Dubbo 10.3 3.1
South East and Tablelands Canberra 6.9 1.1
NSW is projected to experience an increase in average and severe fire weather in the future,
with increases projected to occur mainly in summer and spring (OEH 2016). Location-specific
information can be found on the Adapt NSW website (OEH 2016).
6.14. Sea level rise

Sea level rise can result in effects such as coastal erosion and inundation. Projected sea level
rises for the Sydney region are as follows:
• 2030 – 9 cm to 19 cm
• 2050 – 14 cm to 36 cm
• 2070 – 19 cm to 59 cm
• 2090 – 22 cm to 88 cm
• 2100 – 24 cm to 1.06 m
The projected allowances for Sydney (the height that coastal defences would need to be raised
in order to provide the same level of protection as they do today) are the following:
• 2030 – 14 cm to 15 cm
• 2050 - 24 cm to 30 cm
• 2070 - 36 cm to 52 cm
• 2090 - 48 cm to 85 cm
Source: CoastAdapt, https://coastadapt.com.au/sea-level-rise-information-all-

australian-coastal-councils.
Note: These projections are relative to an average calculated between 1986 and 2005.
6.15. Coastal flooding projections for Sydney

Table 6 provides projected increases in the frequency of flooding events in Sydney with a 50 cm
sea level rise, assuming no further adaptation responses. A 50 cm sea-level rise is within the
range of increases expected by 2070.

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Table 6 - Coastal flooding projections for Sydney
Increase in Number of times a 1- Number of times a 1- Number of times a

frequency of in-10 year flooding in-100 year flooding 1-in-1000 year
flooding events for event (at current sea event (at current sea flooding event (at
sea-level rise of level) is likely to level) is likely to current sea level) is
50 cm over 1990 happen with sea happen with sea likely to happen
levels level rise of 50 cm level rise of 50 cm with sea level rise
of 50cm
2250 Every 1 - 2 days Every 16 - 17 days More than twice a
year
Source: Hunter, J 2011.
6.16. Flora and fauna

Considerations for flora and fauna include the following:
• large animals
• vermin and small animals
• insects
• plants and biological agents
6.16.1. Large animals

In certain areas of the TfNSW Transport Network, there is the possibility of free-ranging large
animals being present. Animal strikes are a common occurrence in inter-urban areas.
Underframe mounted equipment is particularly susceptible to damage due to animal strikes and
should be suitably protected.
Table 7 gives the weight of some of the animals that could potentially enter the rail corridor.
Table 7 - Large animals
Large Average Comment Source

animals weight (kg)
(adult)
Eastern grey 70 n/a www.australianwildlife.com.au/kangaroo.htm
kangaroo
(male)
Common 36 Wombats are of www.environment.nsw.gov.au/animals/Wombats.htm
wombat particular risk to
rolling stock due
to their high
density and
small size.
Cow 750 n/a www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/beef/breeding/
breeds/gelbvieh#Breed-characteristics

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Large Average Comment Source

animals weight (kg)
(adult)
Bull 1000 n/a www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/beef/breeding/
breeds/gelbvieh#Breed-characteristics
Sheep (merino 90 n/a http://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/.../s
ewe) peciesnotes-sheep.doc
Sheep (merino 150 n/a www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/.../species
ram) notes-sheep.doc
6.16.2. Vermin and small animals

Consideration should be given to the presence of rodents and the possibility of damage to
unprotected materials such as electrical cabling.
Rodents can cause damage by gnawing insulation and materials, and depositing corrosive and
conductive faeces and urine.
Rolling stock should accommodate for bird strikes when travelling at any speed up to the
maximum operational speed.
6.16.3. Insects
NSW has many species of insect. Table 8 gives details of some insect types that have been
found to be problematic to rail assets in the past.
Table 8 - Risk insects
Insect Risk Source

Locust Locusts may be lodged http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/pests-
in equipment when weeds/insects/locusts
swarming
Millipede Millipedes are an oily http://australianmuseum.net.au/centipedes-
insect that in large and-millipedes
enough numbers on the
track can act as friction
modifiers.
Mud wasp This species of wasp http://australianmuseum.net.au/mud-
creates their nest from dauber-wasp
mud that can cause
blockages.

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6.16.4. Plants and biological agents

Biological agents that should be considered include the following:
• mould and fungus
• dust mites
• animal waste and dander
• deceased animals
Vegetation hazard management in the rail corridor is specified in the TfNSW standard
T HR CI 12105 ST Vegetation Hazard Management in the Rail Corridor.
6.17. Track ballast

Track ballast up to 75 mm in diameter can be expected on track used by TfNSW heavy rail and
light rail assets.

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Appendix A Comparison with EN 50125 series

Table 9 gives a comparison between this document and the EN 50125 series of standards.
Table 9 - Comparison with EN 50125 series
Parameter This standard 50125-1:2014 50125-2:2002 50125-3:2003

Altitude -32 m to 1400 m A1 A1 A1
Temperature -10 to +46 TX - Higher than TX
(Sydney Metro)
Wind Max 35 m/s Max 35 m/s W4 -
Rain Duration 0.25 hr, 6 mm/min 6 mm/min 6 mm/min
average
13 mm/min
2 2 2 2
Solar radiation 1130 W/m R2 is 1120 W/m R2 is 1120 W/m 1120 W/m

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Appendix B Maps
Figure 3 - TfNSW Network area
Figure 4 - TfNSW Network area

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Figure 5 - Air temperature ranges
Figure 6 - Sydney / Central Coast region

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Technical Note - TN 024: 2017

Effective date: 12 July 2017

Subject: Amendment to T MU EN 00005 ST Ambient

• addition of reference to access historical data on bushfires

1. Section 2.2 Application

This document is to be used as a reference in other documents such as standards, guidelines

© State of NSW through Transport for NSW 2017 Page 1 of 6

Maps are shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4 in Appendix B.

2. Section 6.7 Hail

Appendix C contains further data on historical hail events.

3. Section 6.8 Snow and frost

Appendix D contains further data on the frequency of frost days.

4. Section 6.12.2 Dust

Airborne dust concentrations shall be taken to be the following (OEH, 2016):

• 300 μg/m as a maximum 24 hour average PM10 concentration

• 22 μg/m as an average PM10 concentration

• 120 μg/m as a maximum 24 hour average PM2.5 concentration

• 8.5 μg/m as an average PM2.5 concentration in the Upper Hunter Valley

© State of NSW through Transport for NSW 2017 Page 2 of 6

or exceeded 200 μg/m across NSW.

5. Section 6.13 Bushfire risk

Table 4 and Table 5 show FFDI information.

Table 4 - FFDI scale

Category Forest fire danger index

Table 5 - FFDI current annual statistics

Annual mean number of severe fire

© State of NSW through Transport for NSW 2017 Page 3 of 6

6. Appendix C Historical hail events

Table 10 – Large hail events in NSW (1990 to 2003)

Region No. of reports of hail ≥ 20 mm (1990 to 2003)

Table 11 – NSW extreme hail event examples

Region Date Hailstone diameter (mm)

Sydney (Metropolitan) Apr-99 90

© State of NSW through Transport for NSW 2017 Page 4 of 6

Region Date Hailstone diameter (mm)

Kingscliff (Northern Rivers) Jan-02 70

7. Appendix D Frequency of frost days

Table 12 – Frost days for regional areas

Line Mean annual days ≤ 0(°C)

Table 13 – Frost days for suburban areas

Line Mean annual days ≤ 0(°C)

© State of NSW through Transport for NSW 2017 Page 5 of 6

© State of NSW through Transport for NSW 2017 Page 6 of 6

Ambient Environmental Conditions

© State of NSW through Transport for NSW 2017

© State of NSW through Transport for NSW 2017

For queries regarding this document,

© State of NSW through Transport for NSW 2017

• deploying TfNSW's Authorised Engineering Organisation (AEO) framework

• continuously improving TfNSW’s Asset Management Framework

About this document

© State of NSW through Transport for NSW 2017 Page 4 of 27

© State of NSW through Transport for NSW 2017 Page 5 of 27

This document can be referenced as required by other standards, guidelines, contract

• snow and hail

© State of NSW through Transport for NSW 2017 Page 6 of 27

• sea level rise and coastal flooding

• flora and fauna

2.1.2. Out of scope

In general, human-made environmental conditions such as electromagnetic compatibility

© State of NSW through Transport for NSW 2017 Page 7 of 27