A trio of consortia have been selected to deliver the major contracts for the Queensland Government’s $5.4 billion Cross River Rail project.
The state on Thursday announced preferred bidders for contracts to deliver the tunnel and stations, the rail systems, and the European Train Control System (ETCS) for the new $10.2-kilometre rail line.
The Tunnel, Stations and Development (TSD) contract, a PPP, has been awarded to the PULSE consortium: CIMIC Group companies Pacific Partnerships, CPB Contractors and UGL, alongside DIF, BAM and Ghella.
The Rail, Integration and Systems (RIS) contract will be delivered by the UNITY Alliance: CPB Contractors, UGL, AECOM and Jacobs, with partners HASSEL, RCS Australia, Acmena, Martinus Rail and Wired Overhead Solutions.
The ETCS will be delivered by Hitachi Rail STS.
Work is expected to begin under the major contracts in late 2019.
“I congratulate the proponents on advancing to this stage,” deputy premier and state treasurer Jackie Trad said, making sure to thank those bidders who were not successful for their efforts.
“Across the three works packages, there have been hundreds of people working tirelessly behind the scenes to develop the comprehensive bids and I thank them all for their hard work.”
Trad also took the opportunity to criticise the Federal Coalition for not contributing to the project.
“We have fully-funded this $5.4 billion project because we were sick of waiting on the LNP in Canberra to come to the table,” she said. “As one of Australia’s fastest growing regions, we have to build the infrastructure we need now to ensure we keep pace with this growth.”
Despite previously being approved at the federal level, this version of Cross River Rail was not successful when it went before Infrastructure Australia, the national independent advisor. Infrastructure Australia said last year the Cross River Rail plan failed to pass its cost benefit analysis, and cited doubts over the projected passenger growth in the state’s business case.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Thursday said the project was a necessity for the people of South East Queensland.
“This megaproject is a defining moment for Queensland and vital as our population booms,” the premier said. “As well as improving connectivity across the entire southeast, it will create new precincts at Boggo Road, Woolloongabba, Albert Street, Roma Street and Exhibition, helping Brisbane evolve as a world-class city.”
Cross River Rail will deliver a new 10.2-kilometre rail line between Dutton Park and Bowen Hills, including a 5.9-kilometre twin tunnel under the Brisbane River and the CBD.
It is designed to “unlock the bottleneck” at the core of the region’s transport network.