Three contractors selected as preferred bidders for first major tunnelling works on Suburban Rail Loop East project

Digital render of a train running on the SRL East line in Melbourne (Image: Aurecon)

The government of Victoria in Australia has selected three contractors to deliver the first major tunnelling package on the Suburban Rail Loop East project in Melbourne.

Acciona, Cimic Group’s CPB Contractors and Ghella are lined up to build the 16km section of the project’s 26km twin tunnels.

The three companies, working as the Suburban Connect consortium, will undertake tunnelling between Cheltenham and Glen Waverley, as well as building two new underground station boxes and undertaking construction works at the Southern Stabling Yard.

The Suburban Rail Loop East project as a whole is expected to cost A$30 billion – A$34.5 billion (US$19.4 billion – US$22.3 billion).

Major tunnelling works are expected to start in 2026.

CIMIC Group executive chairman Juan Santamaria said: “CPB Contractors is an industry leader in the delivery of complex construction and brings decades of experience to this first major package of Suburban Rail Loop, providing critical transport connections for the city. We are pleased to be selected by the Victorian Government to construct this valuable piece of infrastructure, improving the lives of people across east and south-east Melbourne.”

Minister for Suburban Rail Loop Jacinta Allan said: “SRL will not only transform our public transport network, it’ll reshape how Melbourne grows in the decades ahead – taking thousands of cars off roads, delivering 24,000 jobs across the life of the project and boosting hundreds of small local businesses.”