News

WESTERN SYDNEY AIRPORT METRO LINE TAKES OFF

PREFERRED TENDERER CHOSEN FOR TASMANIA’S BRIDGEWATER BRIDGE

Artist’s impression of the proposed St Marys railway station.

Major works are set to commence on the new Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport metro line after a $1.8 billion contract was awarded to CPB Contractors and Ghella to build the new twin metro rail tunnels.

The Australian and New South Wales Governments are jointly delivering the 23-kilometre metro railway and six stations between St Marys and the Western Sydney Aerotropolis, including two stations at the airport.

The first of four mega tunnel boring machines will be in the ground by early 2023 to deliver 9.8 kilometres of twin metro rail tunnels in two sections, under the first major contract to be awarded as part of the project.

The driverless 23-kilometre metro line will link St Marys to the centre of the new Aerotropolis via the new Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, with six stations to be built along the alignment.

The 9.8 kilometres of twin rail tunnels will be delivered in two sections. The 4.3-kilometre northern tunnels run from St Marys to Orchard Hills and the 5.5-kilometre southern section of tunnels runs between the Airport Business Park and the Aerotropolis Station.

Apart from the twin tunnel, the Station Boxes and Tunnelling contract includes excavation and civil works for new stations at St Marys, Orchard Hills, Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, and Aerotropolis.

Once the tunnelling contract is complete in late 2024, work will continue to lay tracks and fit out stations. CPB Contractors is already involved in the construction of the Western Sydney International Airport and the Sydney Metro City and Southwest project.

In the biggest milestone to date for the new Bridgewater Bridge project in Tasmania, McConnell Dowell Constructors has been named as the preferred tenderer to deliver the state’s largest ever transport infrastructure project.

The Australian Government has also committed an additional $167.8 million to get this crucial project delivered, bringing the Commonwealth’s total funding to $628.8 million.

The winning design put forward by McConnell Dowell Constructors features a new, standalone four-lane bridge downstream of the existing bridge, including enhanced interchanges at Granton and Bridgewater, a shared path for cyclists and pedestrians and a navigation height matching the Bowen Bridge.

Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts Paul Fletcher said the project is a key project in the $1.7 billion Hobart City Deal.

“This project is another example of all levels of government working together to guide and encourage investment to leverage Hobart’s natural amenity and build on its position as a vibrant, liveable and connected city.”

Tasmania’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Barnaby Joyce said the new bridge would fix the missing link in Tasmania’s national highway.

“The upgrade will benefit approximately 22,000 people that travel across the bridge each day, including local residents, commuters and freight vehicles,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

“Construction will support around 830 jobs, including the creation of more than 200 new jobs for locals. This will deliver an important economic boost to the local economy.”

McConnell Dowell Constructors will commence design-specific site investigations, finalise designs and prepare construction management plans in early 2022. Major construction is due to start in mid-2022 following the approval of a Tasmanian Major Project Planning Permit, and the award of the design and construct contract.

The winning design features a new, standalone four-lane bridge downstream of the existing bridge.

PORT OF MELBOURNE BREAKS NEW GROUND ON RAIL PROJECT

FINAL MAJOR CONTRACT AWARDED FOR WESTERN SYDNEY AIRPORT

Port of Melbourne has officially broken ground on its rail transformation project to reduce traffic congestion caused by trucks in the inner suburbs of Melbourne and across the region of Victoria.

The Port Rail Transformation Project (PRTP) will enable more containers to be moved by rail more efficiently, by-passing roads in inner Melbourne. The project will increase rail terminal capacity and improve rail terminal operations at the port.

The PRTP involves the development and construction of a new rail terminal interfacing with the Swanson Dock East International Container Terminal. The rail terminal will include two new sidings that can handle 600 metre long trains. Common user rail infrastructure will also be upgraded.

A new road to facilitate an uninterrupted connection for movement of containers between the new rail terminal and the wider Swanson Dock precinct will also be constructed.

In September 2021, Seymour Whyte was awarded the contract to develop new rail infrastructure at the port, including a new rail terminal interfacing with the container terminal at Swanson Dock East.

The PRTP will provide the port side infrastructure to welcome future metropolitan shuttles through the Victorian Government’s Port Rail Shuttle Network.

Around 94 per cent of Victoria’s import containers are destined for metropolitan Melbourne, but no freight is currently moved on the metropolitan rail freight network.

“We know that freight on rail has stagnated in the past ten years, we want to turn that around. We are really excited to see this project coming out of the ground. The PRTP opens up new opportunities for metropolitan freight movements on rail,” Port of Melbourne CEO Saul Cannon said.

This project forms part of Port of Melbourne’s 2050 Port Development Strategy, which defines critical infrastructure needed to support the economic growth of Victoria. The PRTP is expected to be complete in mid-2023.

The Port Rail Transformation Project will provide a rail solution to meet the needs of a growing port.

The contract for landside works including ground transport facilities such as car parks and electric vehicle charging stations at Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport has been awarded to Aerowest joint venture of BMD construction and Seymour Whyte Constructions.

The contract, which was finalised late December, marks the last of the four major contracts awarded for the project to date. Previously awarded contracts included the bulk earthworks package awarded to CPB Contractors and Lendlease (now Acciona) joint venture in September 2019; the terminal and specialty works package awarded to Multiplex, in partnership with Arup, Woods Bagot and Airbiz, in June 2021; and the airside civil and pavements work contract awarded to a CPB Contractors and Acciona joint venture in September 2021.

Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, Paul Fletcher, said this marked another milestone for the airport – one of the nation’s biggest infrastructure projects.

“The landside contract will deliver essential ground transport operational facilities to underpin smooth and efficient journeys to and from the airport, including car parks, electric vehicle charging stations and holding areas for point-to-point transport services,” Minister Fletcher said.

“The Morrison Government is getting on with delivering this once-in-a-generation project for Western Sydney, which is already more than one quarter complete set to unlock 28,000 direct and indirect jobs and billions in economic activity.”

Minister for Finance, Simon Birmingham said this contract would also ensure complementary infrastructure projects integrate smoothly with the new airport, such as the M12 motorway and the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport rail link.

“These projects will provide critical connections, getting overseas visitors from the new airport to their destination, and Australians to the rest of the world, to unlock the full benefits of this up-andcoming international gateway,” Minister Birmingham said.

The contract for the delivery of the airport’s technology framework has also been awarded to DXC Technology.

Western Sydney International Airport is on track to open to international, domestic and air cargo services in late 2026.

TUNNELLING COMPLETED ON CROSS RIVER RAIL PROJECT

Image courtesy of Queensland Government.

Queensland’s biggest ever infrastructure project has reached a massive milestone with the final mega machine breaking through at the Northern Portal near the Inner City Bypass, marking the end of tunnelling for the project.

Cross River Rail’s Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Merle has finished its journey beneath the Brisbane River and CBD, achieving its breakthrough near Bowen Bridge Road. The project’s other TBM, Else, completed tunnelling in late November.

TMB Else emerged at Cross River Rail’s Northern Portal after excavating 155,000 cubic metres of tunnel, the equivalent of 62 Olympic swimming pools. It tunnelled 3.8 kilometres from Woolloongabba, under the Brisbane River to Albert Street and then onto Roma Street.

The TBMs have excavated 310,000 cubic metres of spoil and installed approximately 27,000 concrete segments to line the tunnel’s walls, each weighing about 4.2 tonnes.

Cross River Rail is a new 10.2-kilometre rail line from Dutton Park to Bowen Hills, which includes 5.9 kilometres of twin tunnels under the Brisbane River and the CBD.

The two 5.9-kilometre twin tunnels below the Brisbane River and CBD will be home to four underground stations, Albert Street, Roma Street, Woolloongabba and Boggo Road.

It will aim to remove the pressure on the network, which is set to be accelerated by South East Queensland’s increasing population.

The $5.4 billion project is being funded and delivered by the Queensland Government.

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