NEWS
BRISBANE’S INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN FOR 2032 OLYMPICS GAMES With Brisbane being named the host of the 2032 Olympics Games, the city’s venues for the games will be a mix of new and old. Over the next 11 years, facilities throughout Brisbane, Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast will prepare for the games, with an emphasis being placed on using existing facilities. According to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic master plan, 84 per cent of venues used will be existing or temporary. This will include three main hubs throughout the state, which will host 28 different sports. Of these venues, 21 will be in Brisbane, seven on the Gold Coast and four on the Sunshine Coast. The Gabba stadium will host athletics events, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. The stadium will also receive a $1 billion rebuild, which will increase the
Brisbane’s venues for the Olympics Games will be a mix of old and new.
stadium’s capacity from 42,000 to 50,000 seats. The remaining 16 per cent of venues will be new venues, including a 15,000-seat aquatic centre in Brisbane’s CBD, a 12,000seat basketball facility and a 10,000 seat gymnastics and boxing centre. An athlete’s village will be built on the Brisbane waterfront, with alternative accommodation available on the Gold
Coast, Sunshine Coast and Kooralbyn. For spectators, travel throughout the games will be aided by the completion of the Cross River Rail, Brisbane Metro and Coomera Connector. Event organisers admit that more public transport will be required to support the growing population, which is expected to increase by 1.5 million by 2041. The games will have an initial operating budget of $4.5 billion, which does not account for new road infrastructure, public transport, security, or staff. The full costs of the games are still unclear. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the games were expected to bring in almost $18 billion in social and economic benefits to Australia. The games will be held from July 23 to August 8, 2032, with the Paralympics scheduled to follow.
WESTERN SYDNEY AIRPORT METRO GREEN-LIGHTED, FIRST MAJOR TUNNELLING CONTRACT AWARDED
Artist’s impression of Sydney’s Aerotropolis Station. Image courtesy of NSW Government.
The New South Wales Government has granted planning approvals for the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport project, with Acciona and Ferrovial Joint Venture awarded the first of the three major tunnelling contracts for the project. Construction will begin immediately to deliver 11 kilometres of twin metro rail tunnels between Sydney Olympic Park and The Bays, and mega tunnel boring machines will be in the ground before the end of next year. The new milestone was achieved 6
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following community consultation, which resulted in changes to the initial plan, including measures to reduce parking impacts on local communities and the relocation of a temporary bus interchange. The Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport project will deliver about 23 kilometres of rail between St Marys Station and the future Western Sydney Aerotropolis in Bringelly. Six stations are proposed to be built along the alignment including two
stations at Western Sydney International airport, one at the Western Sydney Aerotropolis and one at St Marys – from where customers will be able to connect to the existing Sydney Trains suburban T1 Western Line. The first tunnelling contract, valued at $1.96 billion, was awarded following a competitive tender process involving three shortlisted companies. Due to the scale of the project, tunnelling and excavation works have been split into three packages, with the second package involving nine kilometres of twin tunnels between Westmead and Sydney Olympic Park. Once operational, the new Metro is expected to transport up to 7,740 passengers each hour in each direction, while also taking about 110,000 vehicles off local roads every day, significantly reducing local traffic. It will take just five minutes to travel from the airport to the Aerotropolis, about 15 minutes from the airport to St Marys and 20 minutes from the Aerotropolis to St Marys – where customers can connect to the rest of Sydney’s rail network.
