Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews announced, on July 16, that the Cross Yarra Partnership (CYP), a consortium led by Lendlease Engineering, John Holland, Bouygues Construction and Capella Capital, has been selected to build the Metro Tunnel and five new underground stations.
“We’re building the turn-up and go train system Victoria has been waiting for. We’ve chosen the design, we’ve chosen the builders and we’re getting on with it,”Andrews said.
The value of the contract is AUD 6 billion (USD 4.65 billion) and consists in the construction of 9 km twin tunnels under Melbourne city and five new underground stations at Arden, Parkville, two new stations in the CBD and at Domain (a train-tram interchange station). The five new stations will have their own identity. They will include wider platforms, more natural light and sweeping arches, bringing world-class urban design to the heart of Melbourne and its train network.
“The Metro Tunnel will free up space in the City Loop to run more trains, more often across Melbourne,” Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan said.
Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel is a USD 8.5 billion project that will free up city’s biggest bottleneck by running three of the busiest train lines through a new tunnel.
As part of Melbourne Metro Tunnel project, on July 18, CPB Contractors and Bombardier Transportation were awarded a AUD 1 billion (USD 783.5 million) contract which includes the first roll-out of a high capacity signalling and communications system on an existing rail network anywhere in Australia.
The companies will install high-capacity signalling (HCS) system on 55 km of lines to run run more trains, more often. The advanced technology will enable trains every two to three minutes – creating a true ‘turn-up-and-go’ train network for Melbourne.
The signalling system will operate the 65 new high-capacity trains currently being built in Victoria, which will run on the Sunbury to Cranbourne-Pakenham line via the Metro Tunnel.
Dedicated control centres will be built in Dandenong and Sunshine to support the new technology and they will be staffed by experts who will monitor trains on the new Metro Tunnel line.
“This is the next major piece of the puzzle – high-tech signalling to run bigger trains, more often through the Metro Tunnel,” Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan, said.
Additionally, Expressions of Interest will open this week to deliver the final major works package of Metro Tunnel – the Rail Infrastructure Alliance (RIA).
The USD 1 billion contract will be to design and construct the eastern tunnel entrance in South Yarra, the western tunnel entrance in Kensington and associated works across the Sunbury to Cranbourne-Pakenham corridor, including upgrading track power and conventional signalling.
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