The Victoria Government in Australia has shortlisted three construction companies for the tunnelling contracts on Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) East project.

The government asked these firms to submit a detailed Request for Proposal on the project.

These companies include CPB Contractors Pty Limited, Ghella Pty Ltd and Acciona Construction Australia Pty Ltd, John Holland Pty Ltd and Gamuda Berhad, as well as Webuild S.p.A and GS Engineering and Construction Australia.

SRL East will feature 26km of twin tunnels, as well as six new underground stations between Cheltenham and Box Hill.

With an end-to-end trip of 22 minutes, the new trains under the project are expected to operate by 2035.

Initial works on the SRL East project were already started in Clayton, while approval was granted for major works following Environment Effects Statement (EES) planning process.

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Tunnelling works, which are anticipated to start in 2026, will be conducted under two separate contracts to reduce disruption to the community.

Next year, Victoria Government plans to award the first contract for twin tunnels between Cheltenham and Glen Waverley.

The second contract will involve the construction of tunnels between Glen Waverley and Box Hill.

Construction of the SRL East project is anticipated to create up to 8,000 local jobs.

Suburban Rail Loop CEO Frankie Carroll said: “This competitive process has been a massive vote of confidence in Suburban Rail Loop – with construction giants from around the world vying to partner with us to deliver this city-shaping project.”

This year in June, Victoria Government revealed the final designs of key station renovations for the Gippsland Line Upgrade project in southeastern Australia.

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