The work is for the second stage of Sydney Metro 鈥 Australia鈥檚 biggest public transport project.
Minister for transport and infrastructure Andrew Constance made the announcement at an industry briefing in Chatswood, attended by more than 450 people from 250 Australian and international companies.
鈥淚t鈥檚 full steam ahead on Sydney Metro,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e now taken the next step and opened expressions of interest for tunnelling, asking industry to partner with us in delivering this city-shaping project.鈥
He added that the first of five tunnel boring machines will be in the ground before the end of 2018 to deliver the new twin railway tunnels from Chatswood to Sydenham. Sydney Metro City & Southwest is due to open by 2024.
鈥淲e finished tunnelling on Sydney Metro Northwest in January this year, with services on track to start in the first half of 2019 with a new metro train every four minutes in the peak,鈥 said Constance.
Sydney Metro City & Southwest will extend the metro rail service from Sydney鈥檚 North West, beneath Sydney Harbour, through new underground CBD stations, and beyond to Bankstown.
The tunnelling contract is expected to be awarded in the middle of next year.
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