Contract awarded for $6.7bn Suburban Rail Loop Linewide package

The delivery of the transformative Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) project has reached another major milestone before the end of 2025 with the awarding of the largest SRL contract to date. 

The contract for the $6.7 billion Linewide package has been awarded to global consortium TransitLinX - to be known as the Linewide Alliance - which is comprised of John Holland, RATP Dev, Alstom, KBR and WSP. 

The alliance will build 13 four-carriage automated trains in Dandenong, marking the first time these trains are manufactured locally in Australia. 

“Building high-tech automated SRL trains right here in Melbourne will create a pipeline of Victorian jobs and skills for decades to come,” Minister for Suburban Rail Loop Harriet Shing said. 

The new trains will be accessible, and each carriage will have seating along the walls to create more space for passengers during peak times. They will also have the capacity to be fitted with luggage storage to make commutes easier for future passengers travelling with luggage when SRL connects to Melbourne Airport. 

The high-tech automated trains will use a world-class communication-based control system that enables them to ‘talk’ to each other as well as the operational control centre, removing the need for traditional railway signals. 

In addition to the trains, the Linewide Alliance will also build the systems needed to operate the SRL, including signalling, platform screen doors and passenger information displays. 

All SRL infrastructure and stations will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy, with energy regenerated during train braking to be used to power other trains across the SRL network. 

The Linewide package will generate 500 jobs during its construction, support more than 300 small-to-medium sized businesses across the supply chain, and create hundreds more jobs once SRL is up and running. These jobs cover the construction of the stabling yard and operations centre in Heatherton, along with a 15-year term to operate the network. 

“This is a carefully considered, sensible and fair plan to build a project that will deliver more homes, cut congestion and keep Victorians moving,” Treasurer Jaclyn Symes said. 

The Linewide package is the fourth major contract to be awarded for SRL East. Meanwhile, work continues to progress on both tunnelling packages. 

Construction continues to power ahead on the SRL project, with the 78-tonne tunnel boring machine (TBM) cutterhead already onsite in Heatherton. This is the first of eight TBMs that will carve the 26-kilometre twin tunnels from Cheltenham to Box Hill. Tunnelling works will commence this year. 

Crews are also building TBM launch sites at Clarinda and Burwood, with more TBMs expected to arrive early this year. 

More than 3,000 Victorians are working across all SRL station sites as major construction continues to ramp up. The delivery of SRL East remains on time and on budget, with trains anticipated to begin taking passengers in 2035. 

The Suburban Rail Loop is a 90-kilometre orbital rail line that will provide a direct link to Melbourne Airport as well as connect people to key destinations across the city such as major job centres, health services and education institutions. 

“The Suburban Rail Loop will slash travel times and cut congestion for busy families - while delivering 70,000 more homes within walking distance to jobs, healthcare, and our world-class universities. 

“As we get on with delivering the Suburban Rail Loop - we’re backing Victorian jobs. Thousands are already onsite building this massive project while hundreds will soon start building the trains in Dandenong,” Premier Jacinta Allan said. 

Source: Premier of Victoria - Media Centre; Victoria’s Big Build - Suburban Rail Loop (1, 2, 3)