The Victorian government’s contentious Suburban Rail Loop “cannot be stopped” as a cloud hangs over the rollout of its new public transport ticket system.
Global consortium Terra Verde has been awarded a $1.7bn tunnelling contract for the $34.5bn eastern section of the rail line.
The deal is to build 10km twin tunnels between Glen Waverley and Box Hill, with another consortium already signing a $3.6bn deal to tunnel the rest of the 26km stretch from Cheltenham.
The Labor state government said the latest tunnelling deal came in under what was initially budgeted but the premier, Jacinta Allan, did not say by how much.
“It demonstrates there is huge competitive interest from these global construction companies,” Allan told reporters on Sunday.
The entire 90km orbital rail line is designed to run from Cheltenham to Werribee via Melbourne airport.
Boring on the first phase of the loop is expected to begin in 2026, with completion slated for 2035.
Some businesses to be forcibly acquired were granted a request for an extra nine months to vacate but Allan was adamant it wouldn’t delay the project.
“It’s absolutely tracking on time and on budget,” she said.
The transport infrastructure minister, Danny Pearson, said there was “simply no stopping” the project as early works power ahead at all six station sites.
“You can’t stop this project,” he said.
Victoria has pledged $11.8bn to build the eastern section, with a third of funding expected to come from the federal government and the rest from unexplained “value capture” revenue.
The Albanese government has only committed $2.2bn for the project so far, leaving a $20bn funding hole.
The entire project was initially estimated to cost up to $50bn in 2018, before its 2021 official business case showed the east and north sections could cost between $30.7bn and $57.6bn.
