Three consortia are bidding for the multi-billion-dollar Melbourne Metro Tunnel project – the biggest public transport project in Victoria’s history.
Acting Premier Jacinta Allan announced that the final bids for the $6 billion Tunnel and Stations Public Private Partnership (PPP) have been received, and are being assessed by the Melbourne Metro Rail Authority.
“The bids are in, early works are approved and we’re getting on with building the Metro Tunnel – to run more trains, more often right across Melbourne,” she said.
“The best construction firms in Australia and around the world are lining up to build the biggest rail project in Victoria’s history.
The three shortlisted consortia are:
– Continuum Victoria – comprising ACCIONA Infrastructure, Ferrovial Agroman, Honeywell, Downer EDI and Plenary Origination
– Cross Yarra Partnership – comprising Lendlease Engineering, John Holland, Bouygues Construction and Capella Capital
– Moving Melbourne Together – comprising Pacific Partnerships, CPB Contractors, Ghella, Salini Impregilo, Serco and Macquarie Capital
The consortias’ proposals include more than 100,000 pages of detailed plans to build the nine-kilometre Metro Tunnel and the five new underground stations at Arden, Parkville, CBD North, CBD South and Domain
Early works on the $10.9 billion project have been given formal planning approval with work ramping up over the coming months.
Piling rigs are now on site at Franklin and A’Beckett Streets and this week construction crews will begin driving concrete poles into the ground.
These concrete poles will reinforce the walls of the 35 metre-deep shaft where the new underground station will be built.
Early work will also ramp up at City Square over the coming months to build another underground station, which will have a direct connection to Flinders Street Station, the City Loop and the rest of the train network.
The contract for the PPP is expected to be awarded at the end of this year, with the tunnels and stations package construction to begin in 2018.