By rosebell
In order to constructing the northern section of twin tunnels linking Glen Waverley and Box Hill for the Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) East project in Melbourne, Australia, an A$1.7bn ($1.12bn) contract has been awarded by the Terra Verde joint venture (JV).
JV, which composed of major companies including Webuild, GS Engineering and Construction, and Bouygues Construction Australia, has expertise in projects including Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel, North East Link, and the Grand Paris Express.
With a stake of 33.5%, Webuild is the lederer of this company.
Using tunnel boring machines (TBMs) set to commission from Burwood in 2026, the Terra Verde JV is due to dig two parallel 10km tunnels, whereas the TBMs are going to advance southward to Glen Waverley before redirecting north towards Box Hill. Additionally, construction of 39 cross passages, two station boxes, two tunnel access shafts, as well as a ventilation and intervention shaft, are the contents of this contract.
With the aim of improving transport for over 80% of the city’s population and decreasing congestion by taking over than 600,000 cars off the roads each day, the Suburban Rail Loop project has been designed to form a 90km orbital rail line around Melbourne.
As the first stage of the Australian orbital rail line project, SRL East is expected to take trains with passengers in 2035.
While commencing the early construction across all six station sites and the train stabling facility in Heatherton, the scheduled date for starting the major works at the Clayton SRL station and transport hub is the coming weeks.
Running from Cheltenham to Box Hill, SRL East is expected to generate up to 8,000 jobs, with over 1,500 personnel already engaged.
Following the southern section contract granted last year, this latest contract represents the second major tunneling contract for SRL East.
According to the Victorian Government: “SRL will not only deliver faster, more reliable travel for Victorians, it will help deliver thousands more homes exactly where they’re needed – right next door to jobs, services, and world-class public transport.”
