The Victorian Government has chosen CIMIC Group’s CPB Contractors to construct the first major tunnelling package on the Suburban Rail Loop East project as part of the Suburban Connect consortium, alongside ACCIONA and Ghella.
The package will build a 16-kilometre section of the project’s twin tunnels, including tunnelling between Cheltenham and Glen Waverley, two new underground station boxes, and work at the Southern Stabling Yard – a critical first step in the city’s public transportation network transformation.
Juan Santamaria, executive chairman of CIMIC Group, expressed his delight at being chosen by the Victorian Government to build this important piece of infrastructure, which he said will improve the lives of people in east and south-east Melbourne.
“CPB Contractors is an industry leader in the delivery of complex construction and brings decades of experience to this first major package of Suburban Rail Loop, providing critical transport connections for the city,” Santamaria said.
Jason Spears, CPB Contractors’ managing director, expressed the company’s commitment to helping Victorians gain access to new opportunities through this initiative.
“Working collaboratively with the Suburban Rail Loop Authority, CPB Contractors is committed to supporting residents, local communities and businesses, by providing Victorians with every opportunity to benefit from the social, employment, skills and sustainability outcomes these infrastructure projects create,” Spears remarked.
Meanwhile, Minister for Suburban Rail Loop Jacinta Allan said, “SRL will not only transform our public transport network, it’ll reshape how Melbourne grows in the decades ahead – taking thousands of cars off roads, delivering 24,000 jobs across the life of the project and boosting hundreds of small local businesses.”
According to the government, the Suburban Rail Loop will shorten travel times and reduce congestion by connecting millions of people to vital employment, health, and education locations in Melbourne’s east and southeast.
Major tunnelling construction is anticipated to begin in 2026.
CIMIC Group is an engineering-led construction, mining, services and public-private partnerships leader working across the lifecycle of assets, infrastructure and resources projects.
