ACCIONA wins contract to upgrade Hurstbridge railway line in Melbourne

ACCIONA has secured a contract for upgrading the Hurstbridge railway line in Melbourne, as part of the AUD$530 million (€343 million) Hurstbridge Line Duplication upgrade.

The Spanish infrastructure company will be engaged in constructing a couple of new railway stations in Greensborough and Montmorency.

ACCIONA will also be responsible for replicating nearly three kilometers of track between the two locations, and for laying a 1.5km long track between Diamond Creek and Wattle Glen.

The Hurstbridge Line Duplication project is a part of the bigger initiative called the Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP project), which is being undertaken by the Victorian government. The LXRP project involves the removal of 75 level crossings in the Melbourne metropolitan region by 2025 to facilitate easier and safer ways for people to move around.

The objective of the Hurstbridge Line Duplication project is to ramp up train services, decrease crowding on peak trains, and for offering better connections to public transport in the northeast of Melbourne.

ACCIONA is part of a project alliance that features Coleman Rail, Metro Trains Melbourne, and WSP, that will execute the Hurstbridge Line Duplication project with the LXRP project.

ACCIONA wins contract to upgrade Hurstbridge railway line in Melbourne. Photo courtesy of ACCIONA.

Prior to the construction of the new stations and railway tracks, the alliance will undertake planning and technical assessments. These would include geotechnical drilling for understanding ground conditions, and feature and environment surveys, said the Spanish infrastructure company.

Additional work under the contract will include upgrading signaling, power, and rail infrastructure along parts of the Hurstbridge railway line.

For ACCIONA, this is the fourth Southern Alliance Program package, within the LXRP project, since 2018.

The first stage of the Hurstbridge railway line upgrade was wrapped up in 2018. It saw the commissioning of a new Rosanna Station, a duplicated track between Heidelberg and Rosanna, and two-level crossing removals at Alphington and Rosanna.

The current upgrade of the Hurstbridge railway line is expected to be completed in 2022.