The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has awarded two major contracts on the AU$400m (£211m) Port Botany Rail Line Duplication and Cabramatta Loop project.

ARTC has chosen John Holland to design and construct the Botany Rail Duplication and Fulton Hogan for the Cabramatta Loop.

ARTC CEO Mark Campbell said that the contract awards mark a significant step in the delivery of the project. “The project will help meet future demand at Port Botany, where the freight task is predicted to increase by 77 per cent by 2036,” he said. “The Botany Rail Duplication will duplicate the remaining 2.9-kilometre section of single line track between Mascot and Botany, while the 1.65-kilometre Cabramatta Loop will allow freight trains up to 1,300 metres in length travelling in either direction on the Southern Sydney Freight Line to pass each other.

“Not only will this increase freight capacity, it will also encourage more freight movements to be made by rail – helping to shift freight away from road transport and reduce the rate of growth in truck movements and traffic congestion.

“This will further bolster the economy, with more than 620 people employed by the two major contractors and their subcontractors at the peak of construction.”

He added that each extra freight train travelling on the Port Botany Rail Line will take up to 54 trucks off Sydney’s roads.

The awarded contracts follow a tender and evaluation process that was carried out throughout 2020 and the first part of this year.

Site mobilisation for both contracts is due to begin this year, with major construction works on both the contracts scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2022.