Latest news with #SRLEast
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Premier concedes soaring costs a risk to Suburban Rail Loop
Surging construction costs pose a risk to the first stage of the Suburban Rail Loop, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has acknowledged. Speaking at Victorian budget estimates on Tuesday, the premier faced questions about a 2024 meeting of an SRL East committee made up of the heads of multiple departments that discussed managing the project's $34.5 billion cost envelope. Minutes from the meeting, released to the state opposition through freedom of information rules, show the committee discussed 'the importance of keeping the program on track while resolving cost issues'. When asked what these issues were, Allan said the discussion was focused on the fact that since 2021 Australia had recorded a 22 per cent increase in the cost of construction. Loading The $34.5 billion cost for SRL East was announced in 2021 with the release of the project's business and investment case, prompting questions from Liberal MP Richard Welch about whether this figure was still accurate given soaring building prices. Allan said no project was immune to these pressures, but the government had to deliver the rail loop within the range already announced. 'That is the task of the interdepartmental committee, the minister responsible for the project and the authority delivering that project,' she said. About $2.37 billion will be spent on early works alone, which Allan said were included in the project's total price tag.
The Age
3 days ago
- Business
- The Age
Premier concedes soaring costs a risk to Suburban Rail Loop
Surging construction costs pose a risk to the first stage of the Suburban Rail Loop, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has acknowledged. Speaking at Victorian budget estimates on Tuesday, the premier faced questions about a 2024 meeting of an SRL East committee made up of the heads of multiple departments that discussed managing the project's $34.5 billion cost envelope. Minutes from the meeting, released to the state opposition through freedom of information rules, show the committee discussed 'the importance of keeping the program on track while resolving cost issues'. When asked what these issues were, Allan said the discussion was focused on the fact that since 2021 Australia had recorded a 22 per cent increase in the cost of construction. Loading The $34.5 billion cost for SRL East was announced in 2021 with the release of the project's business and investment case, prompting questions from Liberal MP Richard Welch about whether this figure was still accurate given soaring building prices. Allan said no project was immune to these pressures, but the government had to deliver the rail loop within the range already announced. 'That is the task of the interdepartmental committee, the minister responsible for the project and the authority delivering that project,' she said. About $2.37 billion will be spent on early works alone, which Allan said were included in the project's total price tag.
Sydney Morning Herald
17-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Consortium set to get $9 billion to build part of rail loop, operate trains
A $9 billion contract for building part of the Suburban Rail Loop and operating the train line is set to be awarded to a consortium including construction giant John Holland, in what would be the largest deal of its kind for the project yet. Two sources told The Age that TransitLinX – a group of companies comprising John Holland, RATP Dev, Alstom, KBR and WSP – is the preferred bidder for the 'linewide' contract of the SRL East, a $34.5 billion underground rail line between Cheltenham and Box Hill. The contract, under which the companies will be tasked with building the trains used on the line, operating and maintaining the network and fitting out the tunnels, is expected to be worth at least $8 billion to $9 billion. TransitLinX will now begin the process of negotiating and finalising the details of the contract with the Allan government. The contract is to be signed by the end of this year. The second group that was shortlisted in the process, UrbanLeap, included companies Gamuda Engineering, Keolis Downer, Siemens, AECOM, GHD, Hyundai Rotem and Downer Rail. Two tunnelling contracts for the project have already been signed and are valued at $3.6 billion and $1.7 billion, respectively. Another two contracts to build stations along the railway line have not been awarded. Moving ahead with the biggest contract on the project to date will reaffirm Premier Jacinta Allan's commitment to the project, despite opposition calls for her government to cancel, and uncertainty over whether new taxes and Commonwealth funding will be enough to pay for two-thirds of the project as expected.
The Age
17-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
Consortium set to get $9 billion to build part of rail loop, operate trains
A $9 billion contract for building part of the Suburban Rail Loop and operating the train line is set to be awarded to a consortium including construction giant John Holland, in what would be the largest deal of its kind for the project yet. Two sources told The Age that TransitLinX – a group of companies comprising John Holland, RATP Dev, Alstom, KBR and WSP – is the preferred bidder for the 'linewide' contract of the SRL East, a $34.5 billion underground rail line between Cheltenham and Box Hill. The contract, under which the companies will be tasked with building the trains used on the line, operating and maintaining the network and fitting out the tunnels, is expected to be worth at least $8 billion to $9 billion. TransitLinX will now begin the process of negotiating and finalising the details of the contract with the Allan government. The contract is to be signed by the end of this year. The second group that was shortlisted in the process, UrbanLeap, included companies Gamuda Engineering, Keolis Downer, Siemens, AECOM, GHD, Hyundai Rotem and Downer Rail. Two tunnelling contracts for the project have already been signed and are valued at $3.6 billion and $1.7 billion, respectively. Another two contracts to build stations along the railway line have not been awarded. Moving ahead with the biggest contract on the project to date will reaffirm Premier Jacinta Allan's commitment to the project, despite opposition calls for her government to cancel, and uncertainty over whether new taxes and Commonwealth funding will be enough to pay for two-thirds of the project as expected. After the federal election, Allan sought to tie the Suburban Rail Loop to Labor's success in Victoria and insisted the project had community support.
Time Out
13-05-2025
- Business
- Time Out
Construction has kicked off on Melbourne's Suburban Rail Loop, a massive new 90km rail line across the outer suburbs
Melbourne's public transport system is in the throes of a makeover, in a big way. Between the imminent opening of the metro tunnel and Myki cards on their way to being scrapped, we'll be seeing some significant changes to how we get around our city in the coming years. There's even a plan in the pipeline for a second metro tunnel with a station underneath Marvel Stadium. But wait – believe it or not, there's more. The next big (or rather, ginormous) transport project is the Suburban Rail Loop (SRL), and construction officially kicked off this month. We don't blame you if you have no idea what the SRL is, since it's a little hard to keep up with Melbourne's many construction projects. Essentially, the SRL is a brand-new rail line that will run for 90 kilometres around the outer ring of Melbourne's metro area, travelling from Werribee in the west to Cheltenham in the south. The purpose of the SRL is to take pressure off the inner areas of Melbourne, spread out our city's population and infrastructure density and accommodate for the booming growth areas in outer Melbourne. According to the state government, Melbourne's population growth is on track to be the current size of London by 2050, so more transport is urgently needed. It will travel via the future airport rail link through the new super hub station in Sunshine, then to the northern suburbs, stopping at Broadmeadows, Fawkner, Reservoir, Bundoora and Heidelberg. Then it will zoom to the east, via Doncaster, Box Hill, Burwood, Glen Waverley, Monash, Clayton and finish in Cheltenham. It's a gigantic project, so the SRL is divided into four separate sections – each an individual project that will be completed gradually over the next 30 years or so. The SRL East project is the first cab off the rank, as construction began on the eastern portion of the rail in early May. Giant tunnel boring machines will create 26 kilometres of twin tunnels, running underground between Cheltenham and Box Hill. This part of the rail line is planned to be up and running by 2035 and is expected to cost up to $34.5 billion. When it's all completed, the entire SRL will connect every major train service, from the Frankston Line to the Werribee line, making it easier to travel between suburbs and eliminating the need to travel across Melbourne via the CBD. The project will include several new stations across Melbourne's suburbs, with six new underground stations in the east and seven new stations proposed in the north. Broadmeadows, Sunshine and Clayton will become transport 'super hubs', with both metro and regional lines running through these stations.
