ACCIONA Geotech subsidiary Coleman Rail has been selected as the single preferred proponent for the Final Proposal Phase to upgrade Victoria’s Ballarat Rail Line, in combination with joint venture partner Lendlease.
The consortium ‘s selection represents the first success for ACCIONA Geotech following ACCIONA’s recent investment in the Geotech Group to create a significant player in Australia’s transport infrastructure sector.
Under the Ballarat Line Upgrade project for the Victorian Government, the Ballarat Line to Melton will be duplicated, increasing the frequency of much-needed services for the Ballarat region and the growing population of Melbourne’s outer west. The 2016-17 State Budget provided AUD$518 million in funding for the project.
Bede Noonan; ACCIONA Geotech’s Managing Director, said:
“We’re very proud that this important project is the first success for ACCIONA Geotech. It represents a solid foundation for a new force in Australian infrastructure -a company bringing together wide-ranging international skills with decades of unique local experience”.
“We’re also pleased to have been selected for this project in our own backyard. Geotech and Coleman have strong Melbourne roots, and we know how vital infrastructure investment is for our community and our state”
Major construction will commence in early 2018 and is scheduled for completion by late 2019. The work to be carried out for the Melbourne Metro Rail Authority includes duplication of 18 kilometres of track between Deer Park West and Melton, a new carpack at Rockbank Station, new platforms and stabling facilities, two new passing loops and various level crossing removals to improve safety for motorists and the local community.
Coleman Rail is a contractor specializing in metro, freight, heavy haul and light rail infrastructure. The company has specialist design and construction expertise covering almost all the individual components that collectively make up a network’s fixed rail infrastructure.
ACCIONA in Australia
ACCIONA has been operating in Australia since 2002, where it is involved in Infrastructure (Construction and Water) and Renewable Energy projects.
ACCIONA Geotech is a leading infrastructure and construction company operating in various locations around Australia. The company has extensive experience in the design, construction, management and operation of significant infrastructure assets, and continually invests in Australian skills and jobs.
In Construction, ACCIONA built the Legacy Way tunnels in Brisbane, and is currently building the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing, the Warrell Creek - Nambucca Heads section of the Pacific Highway, the Clarence River Bridge, and Sydney Light Rail.
In the Water sector, ACCIONA is member of the consortia that designed, built and currently operates the Adelaide desalination plant and the Mundaring drinking water plant. Early this year, in partnership with Australian company Monadelphous, ACCIONA was awarded the contract to design, build and operate the extension of the Kawana waste water treatment plant in Queensland and, in partnership with BMD, it has been awarded the contract to expand the Kingsborough waste water treatment plant in Tasmania, worth 39 million Australian dollars.
In the Energy sector, ACCIONA has just begun the construction of Mt Gellibrand 132 MW wind farm this year. Mt Gellibrand will be ACCIONA Energy's fourth wind farm in Australia, after Cathedral Rocks (64 MW in South Australia), Waubra (192 MW in Victoria) and Gunning (46.5 MW in New South Wales). Australia, where ACCIONA has 302.5 MW, ranks fourth in ACCIONA's portfolio of wind assets, after Spain, the USA and Mexico. In addition to developing company-owned facilities, ACCIONA built and commissioned a photovoltaic plant near Canberra for third parties, with a rated capacity of 20 MW (24 MWp).