AUSTRALIA: The government of Victoria has awarded the Suburban Connect consortium of Acciona, CPB Contractors and Ghella the first major tunnelling contract for the Melbourne Suburban Rail Loop East project.

The A$3·6bn Tunnels South contract covers the construction of the 16 km Cheltenham to Glen Waverley section of the 26 km of twin tunnel required for the project. The package also includes two underground station boxes, 55 cross-passages and portals at the Southern Stabling Yard.

Major tunnelling works are expected to commence in 2026 using four tunnel boring machines. At least 12% of hours are to be worked by trainees, apprentices and cadets.

The contract award ‘holds great significance for Ghella as it signifies our inaugural venture into the state of Victoria’, said the company’s Australian Managing Director Marco Fontana on December 12, adding that the project ’promises to bring a profound and positive impact to the residents of Melbourne through critical transport connections’.

A separate contract is to be awarded for the Glen Waverley – Box Hill section of the route.