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Australia’s Infrastructure – A list of Major Projects
Australia’s infrastructure is booming, with several significant projects happening across the nation. The projects are boosting the economy, reducing congestion, creating jobs and making life better for people by making it easier to get around.
We have put together a list and brief description of 10 major projects currently in progress, all of which are responsible for boosting the local economy.
10 Major Projects:
1. Sydney Metro (NSW), $25 Billion
The Sydney Metro includes the Sydney Metro Northwest and the Sydney Metro City and Southwest projects. Sydney Metro is Australia’s biggest infrastructure project, comprising four metro lines, 46 stations, and 113km of new metro rail.
Sydney Metro Northwest opened on 26 May 2019. Services at the 13 metro station operate every four minutes. The line is being extended into the Sydney CBD and beyond by 2024.
Sydney Metro City and Southwest is a 30-km extension to the Sydney Metro Northwest. It is due to open in mid-2024 with seven new metro stations and 11 upgraded stations.
Sydney Metro West is a 24km underground metro railway between Parramatta and the Sydney CBD. It is due to open in 2032.
Delivery partners shortlisted for Sydney Metro West contract packages
Western Sydney Airport is a 23km new railway from St Marys station through to the new airport and the Western Sydney Aerotropolis. The Parklife Metro Public Private Partnership will deliver six new stations, 12 new metro trains, core rail systems, and the stabling and maintenance facility. It is due to open in 2026.
Click here to read more about the Sydney Metro project.
TBMs reach halfway to St Marys for the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport project
Source: © Transport for NSW 2024
2. The Suburban Rail Loop (Victoria, $125 billion)
Suburban Rail Loop will deliver a 90km rail line linking every major train service from the Frankston Line to the Werribee Line via Melbourne Airport. The project is divided into four main sections.
Suburban Rail Loop East (SRL East) extends from Cheltenham to Box Hill. Construction started in June 2022 and will be completed by 2025. Trains will stop at Cheltenham, Clayton, Monash, Glen Waverly, Burwood, and Box Hill.
Suburban Rail Loop North (SRL North) extends from Box Hill to Melbourne Airport. Seven brand new stations are proposed for SRL North at Doncaster, Heidelberg, Bundoora, Reservoir, Fawkner, Broadmeadows, and Melbourne Airport. Construction will be completed by 2053.
Suburban Rail Loop West (SRL West) from Sunshine to Werribee will build on the major road and rail projects already being delivered in the west. Stations will be built in the Sunshine precinct, Victoria University, Sunshine University, and the Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
Suburban Rail Loop Airport extends from Melbourne Airport to Sunshine and will be delivered by Rail Projects Victoria. A new station in Keilor East will also be built as part of the project.
Click here to read more about the project.
Construction works ramp up for Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) East
Visions for Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) East neighbourhoods released
Source: © State Government of Victoria, Australia 2024
3. Melbourne Metro Tunnel (VIC), $12.58 Billion
Construction is underway on the Metro Tunnel so more trains can run more frequently across Melbourne. The Metro Tunnel will create capacity on the network to enable more than half a million additional passengers per week.
The Metro Tunnel project will create a new end-to-end rail line from Sunbury in the west to Cranbourne/Pakenham in the southeast.
The project will include:
- Twin nine-km rail tunnels from the west to the south-east of the city
- Five new underground stations
- High Capacity Signalling to maximise efficiency
- Train/ tram interchange
Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel project will be completed and opened by 2025.
Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel project reaches another major milestone
Construction of the first Metro Tunnel station is now complete
Click here to read more about the Metro Tunnel project in Victoria.
Source: © State Government of Victoria, Australia 2024
4. Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail (National), $31 Billion
The Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail is a national freight infrastructure project that links Melbourne and Brisbane through 1700km heavy freight rail. The freight project better connects producers to markets and creates new opportunities for businesses, industries and regional communities.
It will mean that freight can be delivered faster, more reliably, safer, less congested roads and addition of fewer carbon emissions.
Inland Rail: Two hundred workers engaged in the track possession in Victoria
Inland Rail announces employment boost from latest social performance data
Click here to read more about the project.
Source: ARTC – Inland Rail 2024
5. West Gate Tunnel (VIC), $10.2 Billion
The Victorian Government has partnered with Transurban to deliver the West Gate Tunnel Project. It will be built by construction contractors CPB Contractors and John Holland (CPBJH JV). West Gate Tunnel will give Melbourne a second freeway link between the west and the city, providing a vital alternative to the West Gate Bridge and a vital second river crossing.
The West Gate Tunnel project includes the construction of twin tunnels under Yarraville, a new bridge over the Maribyrnong River, and an expansion of the West Gate Freeway.
Construction ramps up in preparation for West Gate Tunnel opening in 2025
West Gate Tunnel: work begins on the Wurundjeri Way extension
Click here to read more about the West Gate Tunnel project.
Source: © State Government of Victoria, Australia 2024
6. Cross River Rail (QLD), $7.7 Billion
Cross River Rail is a new 10.2km rail line from Dutton Park to Bowen Hills, which includes a 5.9km tunnel under the Brisbane River and city centre. The project will unlock a bottleneck at the core of our transport network, and it will transform the way we travel across the whole of South East Queensland.
The project involves:
- A 10.2km rail line from Dutton Park to Bowen Hills in Brisbane
- 5.9km twin tunnels under the Brisbane River and city centre
- Four new underground stations at Boggo Road, Woolloongabba, Albert Street, and Roma Street
- Eight rebuilt stations from Salisbury to Dutton Park and Exhibition station
- Three new Gold Coast stations at Pimpama, Hope Island and Merrimac
- A new signalling system
It is a critical public transport infrastructure project which will improve our quality of life, help our economy keep growing, generate thousands of jobs, and activate urban development across the whole region.
Construction of the River Rail project began in 2019 and is expected to be completed by 2025. Services to passengers will commence in 2026.
Click here to read more about the Cross River Rail project.
Source: © Cross River Rail Delivery Authority 2024
7. Western Sydney Airport (NSW), $11 Billion
Construction of Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport is underway and on track to begin operations in 2026. The airport is a transformational infrastructure project that will generate economic activity, provide employment opportunities closer to home for people in the Western Sydney region, and meet Sydney’s growing aviation needs.
Western Sydney Airport will be a full-service airport operating curfew free, delivering international, domestic and freight services.
The project includes six new metro stations at St Marys, Orchard Hills, Luddenham, one station at the airport terminal, one station at the airport business park, and Bradfield.
Western Sydney International Airport welcomes migrants to explore engineering opportunities
Australian Government fills crucial roles for Inland Rail and Western Sydney International Airport
Click here to read more about the Western Sydney Airport project.
Source: © Commonwealth of Australia
8. Melbourne Airport Rail Link (VIC), $13 Billion
Melbourne Airport Rail will take passengers from the airport to where they need to go.
Trains will run from Melbourne Airport through to Sunshine Station, then into the Metro Tunnel and the heart of the CBD, before continuing on to the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines. It will provide passengers with a 10-minute turn-up-and-go service from Melbourne Airport and a less than 30-minute journey into the CBD.
Early work on the project has now begun, while further planning and development work continues. Melbourne Airport Rail (SRL Airport) is due to open in 2029.
Click here to read more about the Melbourne Airport Rail Link.
Melbourne Airport Rail Update – December 2022
New Station For Melbourne’s West As Part Of Airport Rail
Source: © State Government of Victoria, Australia 2024
9. Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan (NSW), $4.4 Billion
The Australian and New South Wales Governments are investing $4.4 billion over ten years in the Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan (WSIP).
The plan will deliver a quality surface transport network, ensuring passengers, employees, and freight’s efficient movement, when Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport opens in 2026.
The WSIP comprises the following projects:
- M12 Motorway – provide an east-west link between the M7 Motorway and The Northern Road while also providing a connection to the Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport. The project is under construction and is expected to be completed prior to the Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport opening in 2026.
- The Northern Road – upgrade of approximately 35 kilometres of The Northern Road to a minimum of four lanes. The project is being delivered in six stages; the first stage opened to traffic in April 2018. The final stage opened to traffic in late 2021.
- Bringelly Road – upgrade approximately ten kilometres of Bringelly Road between Camden Valley Way and The Northern Road.
- Werrington Arterial Road – Works included road widening, new entry and exit ramps and intersection upgrades. Construction commenced in March 2015 and was the first major projects to be completed, opening to traffic in May 2017.
- Glenbrook Intersection at Ross Street – upgrades to the Great Western Highway and Ross Street intersection at Glenbrook, providing safe access and a gateway to Glenbrook Village. The project was completed in November 2018.
- Local Roads package – enabling a range of Western Sydney councils to complete minor road improvement works in the Western Sydney area.
Click here to read more about the Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan.
Source: © Commonwealth of Australia 2024.
10. METRONET (WA), $10.5 Billion
The METRONET project is the largest investment in public transport that Perth has ever seen. This transformative program will positively change how people live and travel in Perth.
With approximately 72 kilometres of new passenger rail and up to 18 new stations, METRONET is a catalyst to turn over 5,000 hectares of land around new stations to desirable places for investment in housing, jobs and services for growing communities.
The METRONET projects include:
- Byford Rail Extension
- High Capacity Signalling
- Inner City Transit – Light Rail
- Karnup Station
- Mid-Tier Transport Planning
- Morley-Ellenbrook Line
- Morrison Road Level Crossing
- New Bayswater Station
- New Midland Station
- Thornile-Cockburn Link
- Victoria Park-Canning Level Crossing Removal
- WA Railcar Program
- Yanchep Rail Extension
Construction of the first METRONET station now complete in Ellenbrook
Three METRONET stations achieve design review ratings
First track laid for METRONET Yanchep Rail Extension in Perth
Click here to read more about the METRONET project in WA.
Source: (c) 2024 METRONET
Last Update: 10 April 2024
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