Scheme will see contractor work on track for first metropolitan rail line in Melbourne for 80 years

Contractor Balfour Beatty has been awarded £535m rail contract in Melbourne, in an alliance with Australian engineer Thiess and consultant Sinclair Knight Merz.

The project will see the construction of the first new metropolitan rail line in the city for 80 years including 7.5km of new track, bridges and a new station.

The new line from Footscray to Deer Park will mean regional and metropolitan trains will no longer have to share the same track increasing capacity and reliability on the railways.

Balfour will deliver 35% of the work on the contract, mainly on track upgrades an will project manage the scheme through Parsons Brinkerhoff, another arm of the global group.

Ian Tyler, chief executive of Balfour Beatty, said: “We have harnessed our skills and capabilities in rail as well as in Parsons Brinckerhoff to gain a position as a joint-venture partner in the design and construction of a complex rail project. This win aptly demonstrates the success of our strategy to integrate the Group’s capabilities to manage complexity for our customers.”