The Victorian Suburban Rail Loop project has advanced further following the latest announcement by the Victorian government
The Victorian government has announced that tunnelling on the Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) will start in 2026 after the first tunnelling contract was awarded to SRL East.
Victorian premier Jacinta Allan and transport infrastructure minister Danny Pearson were on hand for the announcement at the SRL East Burwood site.
A consortium of international global tunnelling experts comprising CPB Contractors, Ghella and Acciona Construction have been awarded the $3.6 billion contract to deliver 16 kms of twin tunnels between Cheltenham and Glen Waverley.
“We are full steam ahead with the Suburban Rail Loop,” Allan says.
“By 2026, tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will be in the ground and Victorians will be hard at work delivering a project that will slash travel times and transform our transport system.”
The Victorian government says that SRL East will connect people to new housing, employment and health and education services in Melbourne’s east and south-east.
The project will also create 8,000 direct jobs as it delivers six new underground stations between Cheltenham and Box Hil.
“SRL East equals 8,000 direct jobs and thousands more across the supply chain,” Pearson says.
The Victorian government says it will be one of the most sustainable infrastructure construction projects in Australia’s history.
Four TBMs will be powered by 100 per cent renewable electricity while total emissions from construction will be 20 per cent below industry standard.
The Victorian government says that skilled workers and training will also benefit from SRL East, with at least 12 per cent of hours to be worked by trainees, apprentices and cadets.
Construction has already commenced across the SRL East corridor, with works in Burwood to build the TBM launch site underway.
“We’re getting on with the project Victorians voted for, making it easier to move around Melbourne and connecting people to the great jobs, education and housing our area has to offer,” Member for Burwood Matt Fregon says.
Under the tunnel contract, ground preparation works required to excavate safety cross passages between the twin tunnels will be managed underground, reducing impacts on local residents, schools and roads.
The Victorian government says the two other bidders for the Cheltenham to Glen Waverley package will now compete for the second tunnelling package between Glen Waverley and Box Hill, with that contract to be awarded in 2024.
In a separate package of works, two consortia have been shortlisted for the Linewide Alliance contract to build the fleet of high-tech SRL trains and signalling system.
The Victorian government says the alliance will operate and maintain the SRL East network, with the contract set to be awarded in 2025.