SRL East tunnelling shortlist announced

6 September 2022


Three consortia have been shortlisted for the tunnelling contracts on Melbourne’s SRL East rail transport project.

The shortlist is:

  • CPB Contractors Pty Ltd, Ghella Pty Ltd and Acciona Construction Australia Pty Ltd – companies involved in Brisbane’s Cross River Rail, Sydney Metro, Vancouver’s Broadway Millennium Subway and the Caulfield to Dandenong Level Crossing Removal
  • John Holland Pty Ltd and Gamuda Berhad trading as Gamuda (Australia) Branch. These companies have experience building Melbourne's Metro Tunnel, Sydney Metro Northwest Tunnel, Malaysia’s Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit, and Melbourne’s City Loop
  • Webuild SpA and GS Engineering and Construction Australia Pty Ltd – companies with experience in projects including Melbourne’s North East Link tunnels, Copenhagen’s Cityringen and projects in the Middle East and Asia

The shortlist was drawn from a list of five bids, with Bouygues Construction Australia Pty Ltd, and Samsung C&T Corporation and Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co Ltd failing to make the final three.

SRL East will deliver 26km of twin tunnels and six new underground stations between Cheltenham and Box Hill.

Initial works on SRL East are already under way and major works were given the green light in August following ministerial endorsement of an independent planning panel’s key recommendations..

Tunnelling will begin in 2026, with up to 10 TBMs used to dig the twin tunnels. The tunnelling task will be split into two separate contracts, awarded from the shortlist of three. The first contract will be awarded next year for twin tunnels between Cheltenham and Glen Waverley. The second is to construct tunnels between Glen Waverley and Box Hill.

Contractors will be required to deliver at least 92% local content (excluding TBMs), providing a boost for Victoria’s steel and concrete industry.