Full project details
Laing O’Rourke, in joint venture with O’Donnell Griffin, completed the Sunbury Rail Electrification Project in Victoria. This major rail infrastructure upgrade improved rail services on the Sydenham–Sunbury corridor and helped the transport system cope with the population growth on Melbourne’s outskirts.
Passengers are now carried to the Victorian towns of Sunbury and Diggers Rest on electric, not diesel, rail services – thanks to Laing O’Rourke’s engineering excellence.
Electric metropolitan trains now travel the Sunbury line, in Melbourne’s western outskirts, following the 2012 completion of the $270 million Sunbury Electrification Project.
Laing O’Rourke was awarded the contract, in joint venture with O’Donnell Griffin, in 2009. The project team was formed through an alliance comprising the Laing O’Rourke O’Donnell Griffin Joint Venture, the Department of Transport and rail operators Metro Trains Melbourne and V/Line.
Over two and a half years, the team delivered this major rail infrastructure upgrade which will provide major ongoing benefits to local communities.
Over the life of the project, the Laing O’Rourke-led JV delivered the electrical infrastructure that sits over the tracks, new signalling systems, power upgrades, five electrical substations, major upgrades to Diggers Rest and Sunbury stations, and sidings for five trains at Sunbury.
The project also included 75 kilometres of overhead wiring to power the line, spanning 34 kilometres of track and 640 individual steel gantry structures.
Laing O’Rourke continues to hold its place as the leading rail electrification company in Australia and this project further enhances the range of supply and services provided – and adds to the broad list of Australasian locations where we’ve delivered first class rail services.
The project included rehousing vital signalling, fibre optic and electric cabling along the rail corridor, while more than 100 CCTV cameras were also installed to provide improved security for the travelling public. 500 additional car parking spaces were added at Diggers Rest Station and 100 new spaces at Sunbury.
By enabling higher-capacity metropolitan trains to run to and from Sunbury, pressure will be eased on the busy Sydenham line. The project will also allow trains to carry more passengers and run more reliably, which is vital to the ongoing viability of Melbourne's broader rail network.
All metropolitan services from Sunbury will now run using six-car metropolitan trains that can carry more than twice the passengers of the V/Line trains. The project will ultimately result in at least double the number of current services for Sunbury and Diggers Rest passengers on weekdays and weekends. Extra suburban trains on the Sydenham line during morning peak times will have the capacity to carry an extra 3000 people into the city each day—equivalent to one freeway lane of traffic.
Laing O’Rourke is pleased to be involved with the Victorian Government’s drive to improve rail travel in Melbourne and to provide an integrated approach to public transport. The company is also continuing to deliver major rail works for RailCorp across Sydney’s greater metropolitan area, the South Australian Government’s Adelaide electrification upgrade, the electrification of Auckland’s commuter network and for mining interests in Western Australia, regional Queensland and the NSW Hunter Valley.