Three consortia invited to bid for Sydney light rail

Three consortia have been invited to bid for a $1.6 billion contract to build and operate a new light rail line through Sydney.

The NSW Government has named the three joint ventures to pre-qualify to tender for the CBD and South East Light Rail project.

The winning bidder, which is expected to be announced by the end of the year, will design, build, operate, maintain and finance the new 12-kilometre system.

The shortlist includes:

• SydneyConnect – Serco, John Holland and Plenary Group;
• iLinQ Sydney – Keolis Downer, Balfour Beatty, McConnell Dowell, Bombardier and Macquarie Capital;
• Connecting Sydney – Transdev Sydney, Alstom Transport Australia, Acciona Infrastructure Australia and Capella Capital.

Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian said: “The expansion of light rail in Sydney will deliver huge public transport improvements, create thousands of jobs, address congestion and deliver economic benefits worth an expected $4 billion.

“Tendering for this highly complex project is an intensive process and the Public Private Partnership contract requires significant investment by the short listed consortia.

“The $1.6 billion CBD and South East Light Rail will address three of the biggest challenges facing Sydney – unreliable journey times, traffic congestion, and population growth.”