CIMIC Group’s CPB Contractors has been selected by the Victorian Government to deliver the first major tunnelling package on the Suburban Rail Loop East project, as part of the Suburban Connect consortium, alongside ACCIONA and Ghella.

The package will construct a 16-kilometre section of the project’s 26 kilometre twin tunnels, including tunnelling between Cheltenham and Glen Waverley, two new underground station boxes and construction works at the Southern Stabling Yard, the critical first step in the city’s public transport network transformation.

Revenue to CPB Contractors will be announced at contract execution.

CIMIC Group Executive Chairman Juan Santamaria said: “CPB Contractors is an industry leader in the delivery of complex construction and brings decades of experience to this first major package of Suburban Rail Loop, providing critical transport connections for the city. We are pleased to be selected by the Victorian Government to construct this valuable piece of infrastructure, improving the lives of people across east and south-east Melbourne.”

CPB Contractors Managing Director Jason Spears said: “Working collaboratively with the Suburban Rail Loop Authority, CPB Contractors is committed to supporting residents, local communities and businesses, by providing Victorians with every opportunity to benefit from the social, employment, skills and sustainability outcomes these infrastructure projects create.”

Minister for Suburban Rail Loop Jacinta Allan said: “SRL will not only transform our public transport network, it’ll reshape how Melbourne grows in the decades ahead – taking thousands of cars off roads, delivering 24,000 jobs across the life of the project and boosting hundreds of small local businesses.”

Suburban Rail Loop will reduce travel times and congestion, connecting millions of people to key employment, health and education destinations in Melbourne’s east and south east.

Major tunnelling works are expected to commence in 2026.