AUSTRALIA: Downer EDI has been selected for the fixed infrastructure contract for the Newcastle light rail project. CPB Contractors, John Holland, Laing O’Rourke and McConnell Dowell Constructors had also been shortlisted.
The announcement by New South Wales Minister for Transport & Infrastructure Andrew Constance on August 9 also included details of changes to the project design following a public consultation. The line will now be built with embedded instead of ballasted track, and small changes to the alignment around Worth Place and Stewart Avenue have been made.
The planned 2·6 km line linking Wickham and Pacific Park is to be partly funded using the proceeds of the state government leasing the Port of Newcastle. CAF is supplying a fleet of six trams under a contract awarded in June. Options for future extensions of the route have been published for public consultation.
