The Thiess John Holland Dragados joint venture has been awarded the contract to build the North West Rail Link’s 15km twin tunnels. Four huge tunnel boring machines will call Sydney’s North West home from next year after the NSW Government awarded a $1.15 billion contract, with work starting immediately to get the first tunnel boring machine (TBM) in the ground by the end of next year.
The awarding of the contract heralds the beginning of a new high capacity rapid transit network for Sydney which will eventually include a new line through the CBD and beyond. The North West Rail Link is a priority rail infrastructure project for the NSW Government. The $8.3 billion project will open by the end of 2019.
Edge Environment supported the winning team with establishing the Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Carbon impacts of the project.
Following the tunnelling work, eight new railway stations are proposed at: Cherrybrook, Castle Hill, Showground, Norwest, Bella Vista, Kellyville, Rouse Hill and Cudgegong Road.
Also planned are 4,000 commuter car parking spaces.
The rail link includes 15km of tunnels between Bella Vista and Epping – Australia’s longest rail tunnels. The infrastructure investment also includes excavating the stations along the tunnel corridor, building a pre-cast concrete factory at Bella Vista and site preparation work for the 4km skytrain section.
This is Australia’s biggest public transport infrastructure project and it will deliver more than $35 billion in benefits to the NSW economy over several decades.
The first tunnel boring machine will be in the ground next year, as scheduled.