Ghella selected to deliver the first package of the Suburban Rail Loop East tunnels in Melbourne, Australia
09-04-2023
Ghella has been selected by the Victorian Government to deliver the first major tunnelling package on the Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) East project, as part of the Suburban Connect consortium, alongside CPB Contractors and Acciona.
The package will construct a 16-kilometre section of the project’s 26-kilometre twin tunnels, including tunnelling between Cheltenham and Glen Waverley, two new underground station boxes and construction works at the Southern Stabling Yard, the critical first step in the city’s public transport network transformation.
Ghella’s Australian Managing Director, Marco Fontana, said “This is a particularly significant milestone for Ghella as it marks our entry for the first time into the state of Victoria. We’re thrilled to be working with our long-term partners, CPB and Acciona, on this city-shaping project that will greatly benefit the residents of Melbourne.”
Major works and tunnelling are set to begin in 2026, with six tunnel boring machines (TBMs) to be used to carve out the 16km twin tunnels.
The project will reduce travel times and congestion, connecting millions of people to key employment, health and education destinations in Melbourne’s east and south east.
Trains will be running by 2035, with an end-to-end trip of just 22 minutes.
Jacinta Allan, Minister for Suburban Rail Loop, 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.”
The contract is expected to be awarded later this year.
