The NSW Government has officially begun the tender process for the construction of 50km of new metro railway tunnels for the Sydney Metro West Project.

Building the tunnels, which will run between Greater Parramatta and the Sydney CBD, is expected to create thousands of jobs as Australia confronts the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NSW Government has called for expressions of interest for the mega project’s first two major infrastructure packages – the delivery of twin tunnels between Westmead and The Bays.

Sydney Metro West is expected to create more than 10,000 direct new jobs and 70,000 indirect jobs, with thousands of these jobs being generated by these new tunnelling contracts.

These contracts will require tunnellers, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, concrete workers, truck drivers, labourers and security guards.

The first of four mega tunnel boring machines are expected to be in the ground before the end of 2022.

Expressions of interest have been called for the first two tunnelling contracts from Westmead to Sydney Olympic Park and from Sydney Olympic Park to The Bays.

The Sydney Metro West project will deliver a new underground driverless metro railway from Westmead to the city, doubling the rail capacity of this corridor and cutting travel times to around 20 minutes between Parramatta and the city.

NSW Minister for Transport, Andrew Constance, said it was more important than ever that infrastructure projects like Sydney Metro West supported jobs, communities and the economy.

“Sydney Metro West is a truly once-in-a-century city shaping project that will forever change how we get around Sydney,” Mr Constance said.

 

Source: Infrastructure Magazine