The contracts were awarded in late 2018 and the first sod was turned today (31st January). The AU$840m (£435m) contract to build the light rail system was awarded to Downer and Hochtief subsidiary CPB Contractors in a joint venture, while the AU$536m (£375m) contract to supply and operate the network and build the depot, light rail stops and power systems has been awarded to the Great River City Light Rail consortium, which is led by Transdev with Laing O’Rourke as contractor.
The overall budget for the project is AU$2.4bn (£1.25bn), which includes the two major contracts as well as early and enabling works, road network upgrades, new bridges and active transport links, urban design, changes to the bus network and project costs from 2015-2023.
The new 12km light rail project will connect Westmead to Carlingford via the Parramatta central business district (CBD) and Camellia. Acting minister for transport and roads Paul Toole said: “Today marks a significant step on a project that will transform transport connectivity in a growing part of Sydney.”
He added: “We’ve already hit the ground running with the decommissioning works along the closed Carlingford rail line, in preparation for its conversion to light rail.”
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