Tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will be launched in 2026 and thousands of jobs created on the city shaping Suburban Rail Loop, as the Andrews Labor Government announced the preferred bidder for the first tunnelling contract for SRL East.
SRL East will create up to 8,000 direct jobs and deliver six new underground stations between Cheltenham and Box Hill – slashing travel times and congestion and connecting people to key employment, health and education destinations in Melbourne’s east and south east.
A 16-kilometre section of twin tunnels between Cheltenham and Glen Waverley will be constructed by Suburban Connect, a consortium of global leaders in tunnelling including CPB Contractors, Ghella and Acciona Construction and with extensive experience in Victoria and Australia.
Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop Jacinta Allan today inspected early works at Burwood, where the site is being prepared to launch tunnel boring machines.
Ten TBMs will be used to dig the total 26 kilometres of tunnels, launching from Monash, Burwood and Heatherton, with a second contract to be awarded next year for the tunnelling between Glen Waverley and Box Hill.
It comes as the Labor Government continues the important conversation with the community and local councils about boosting housing choice and affordability in areas around each new station, with the release of the SRL Precincts Discussion Paper to kick-start a massive program of community consultation.
Local residents, businesses and stakeholders are invited to have their say in the coming weeks, before detailed draft Precinct Visions for each of the six station areas at Cheltenham, Clayton, Monash, Glen Waverley, Burwood and Box Hill are released for further community input later this year.
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Quotes attributable to Minister for Suburban Rail Loop Jacinta Allan
“We promised Victorians we’d get on with building the Suburban Rail Loop and that’s exactly what we’re doing – this first major works contract is a major step towards tunnel boring machines being in the ground by 2026.”
“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.”
“We need to boost housing choice and affordability in established areas, which is why our SRL Precincts have been so carefully selected – they are places with easy connections to existing transport and have enormous potential for high quality jobs.”
Quote attributable to Member for Ashwood Matt Fregon
“We’re getting on with a project that will slash travel times and make it easier to travel around our communities, while connecting people to jobs, education and housing.”
Reviewed 29 August 2023