AUSTRALIA: Sydney Metro has awarded the second main construction contract for the 23 km Western Sydney Airport automated metro line.
A joint venture of CPB Contractors and United Infrastructure has been awarded an A$538·5m contract to build 10·4 km of surface and elevated alignment for the central section. This includes 6·7 km of surface earthworks, 3·5 km of viaduct at Orchard Hills and Luddenham and a 190 m bridge to carry the line over the M12 motorway.
The consortium will also build another 20 m bridge within the airport grounds, and undertake bulk earthworks for the site of the rolling stock stabling and maintenance facility, to be located on the eastern side of the line just south of Orchard Hills station.
According to Sydney Metro, the contractors have committed to draw at least 20% of the workforce for the contract from the Greater Western Sydney region. The project being jointly funded by the Australian and NSW governments is expected to support 14 000 jobs in total.
The first major civil works for the line contract was awarded on December 22 2021, when CPB Contractors and Ghella were selected to excavate two sections of twin bore-tunnels using four hard-rock TBMs. That A$1·8bn contract covered the 4·3 km northern tunnels from St Marys to Orchard Hills and the 5·5 km southern tunnels linking Airport Business Park and Aerotropolis, plus the underground station boxes at St Marys, Orchard Hills, Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, and Aerotropolis.
The final contract package is expected to be awarded at the end of this year. Three consortia were shortlisted in October for the Stations, Systems, Trains, Operations & Maintenance contract. This will cover the construction and fitting out of the six stations and the depot, the procurement of railway infrastructure and systems and the operation of the completed line.
