AUSTRALIA: Victoria’s Major Transport Infrastructure Authority has invited expressions of interest in construction of a station at Tullamarine international airport as part of the Melbourne Airport Rail project.
The national and state governments have each committed A$5bn to fund the airport rail link, as part of the state’s Big Build programme. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2022 for completion by 2029, but this timescale remains subject to planning and environmental approvals.
The line is intended to offer a turn-up-and-go service to and from the city centre, with trains operating every 10 min in each direction and an end-to-end journey time of around 30 min.
MTIA says it is currently in discussion with key stakeholders including the airport owners over the design of the new station, which would also be served by the orbital Suburban Rail Loop running around the north of the conurbation.
Issuing the call on November 8, the authority also invited expressions of interest for the Viaduct Package, which covers a 6 km section of elevated alignment along Airport Drive and an 80 m bridge over the M80 Western Ring Road and Steele Creek. Both packages are expected to be procured using an alliancing model.
Prequalified contractors have already been invited to tender for the line-wide Early Works contract including utility relocation. A request for proposals is being prepared for works around Sunshine and Albion stations, including a 2 km double-track flyover. This is to be paired with the railway systems package covering signalling, power supplies and communications infrastructure. Expressions of interest in construction of the Maribyrnong River bridge are being evaluated.
