Australia: Canberra LRT Contractor Announced

Image courtesy of Mitsubishi Corporation

Canberra LRT Contractor Announced

The preferred proponent for the construction, maintenance and operation of a new light rail transit network in Canberra, Australia, has been announced. The winning bid came from a consortium of Deutsche Bahn International, with the Mitsubishi Corporation, Pacific Partnerships, John Holland, CPB Contractors, Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, and Aberdeen Infrastructure Investments, under a public private partnership.

The announcement comes after the completion of negotiations and final contractual stipulations with the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government. The four principal consortium members, which are the Mitsubishi Corporation, Pacific Partnerships, John Holland and Aberdeen Infrastructure Investments will set up a joint stock company to undertake the project.

The contract relates to construction, operation and maintenance of the 12km LRT network, running from central Canberra and Gungahlin with 13 stops. The operation and maintenance elements of the contract will run for a period of 20 years. The creation of abn LRT network has been categorised as high priority by the ACT Government as part of an economic stimulus drive.