The Allan Labor Government's city-shaping Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) is powering ahead, with the preferred bidder chosen to deliver the first SRL stations.
Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop Harriet Shing today announced Place Alliance will be the preferred consortium and will now be party to negotiations to build the underground stations at Glen Waverley, Burwood and Box Hill - as part of the Stations Alliance North Contract.
Place Alliance is a consortium of John Holland, Kellogg Brown and Root, and Arup Australia and has a deep experience delivering major and transformational infrastructure projects, including the Metro Tunnel, Sydney Metro, WestConnex and Inland Rail.
Detailed negotiations will now get underway with Place Alliance before the Stations Alliance North contract is expected to be awarded next year. The two other shortlisted bidders Connexus and ESPA will now compete for the second stations contract - to build the stations at Cheltenham, Clayton and Monash.
The new stations will be fully accessible, light-filled spaces with retail and dining options - and will feature elements inspired by the history of the local community and First Nations peoples - with each station to have a Green Star rating of at least 5 stars.
The SRL will have safe, easy and accessible connections to existing Metro stations, as well as new and upgraded bus and tram interchanges, walking and cycling paths and bike parking. These new SRL stations will support the delivery of more homes - within walking distance of jobs, health services, universities and quality open space.
This will transform the way people move around our state - a nurse from Carrum working at Box Hill Hospital will save 17 minutes catching public transport, while a student studying in Caulfield will be able visit friends and family in Glen Waverley in just 22 minutes with the SRL, saving them 17 minutes via public transport.
Students living in Laverton will be able to travel to Deakin University in 60 minutes using the SRL compared to up to 79 minutes in the car.
Construction of the SRL is creating up to 8,000 direct local jobs, with more than 3,000 people already working on the project, building on the Allan Labor Government's strong pipeline of transport infrastructure jobs.
The project remains on time and on budget, with crews working around the clock in preparation for the arrival of tunnel boring machines later this year, and TBMs set to launch next year.
As stated by Minister for Suburban Rail Loop Harriet Shing
"The Suburban Rail Loop is a nation building project that will slash travel times and cut congestion for busy families - while delivering 70,000 more homes within walking distance of jobs, healthcare, and Australia's largest universities."
As stated by Member for Ashwood Matt Fregon
"The new SRL station at Burwood will not only create faster and easier access to Deakin University, but it will also deliver homes closer to jobs and services."
As stated by Member for Box Hill Paul Hamer
"The Suburban Rail Loop will transform Box Hill into one of Melbourne's most connected precincts - delivering faster travel and more jobs to our community."
As stated by Member for Glen Waverley John Mullahy
"Glen Waverley's new SRL station will strengthen our local economy and make it easier for people to live, work and study right here in the east."
