Suburban Connect consortium is the preferred bidder for the tunneling contract of Melbourne East Suburban Rail Loop (SRL East), the Victoria’s Government announced.
The consortium comprises CPB Contractors, Ghella and Acciona Construction and is expected to start digging with tunnel boring machines (TBMs) in 2026.
The contract is for 16 km of twin tunnels between Cheltenham and Glen Waverley and is expected to be awarded by the end of the year.
A second contract will be awarded next year for the tunnels between Glen Waverley and Box Hill.
Up to 10 TBMs will be used to carve out the full 26 km of twin tunnels for the eastern section of the new railway line, with TBMs launching from Monash, Burwood and Heatherton.
Early construction of SRL East is now underway in Box Hill, Burwood and Heatherton, with works starting soon in Monash and returning to Glen Waverley and Clayton later this year.
Crews are moving the 109 tram stop on Whitehorse Road 40 metres west to ensure services are unaffected during construction. Works also start soon on a temporary bridging structure to keep Whitehorse Road open to traffic during excavation of the underground station.
The works are part of a construction blitz across the SRL East rail corridor, with activities also underway in Burwood and Heatherton. At Burwood, workers are preparing to build a launch site for tunnel boring machines, the most significant work to date on the city-shaping project.
The tunnels to be constructed for Melbourne East Suburban Rail Loop will be the longest in the state of Victoria. SRL East will be open by 2035 when will have six new underground stations providing better access to people in Melbourne neighbourhoods.
The Suburban Rail Loop is a 90 km rail line linking every major train service from the Frankston Line to the Werribee Line via Melbourne Airport, better connecting Victorians to jobs, retail, education, health services and each other.
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