Big projects pave way for City Link
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Four major projects due to be completed over the next five years will pave the way for the much heralded City Link development between the CBD and Northbridge to proceed.
The latest milestone in City Link was the naming of a John Holland and GHD joint venture as the preferred alliance partner to work with the Public Transport Authority on sinking a section of railway.
The winning consortium beat a competing proposal from a Brookfield Multiplex and Laing O’Rourke joint venture.
The $360 million project is due to be completed by 2014 and will open up redevelopment opportunities for the land above the tunnel. The sinking of the railway will be followed by the sinking of the Wellington Street Bus Station, at an estimated cost of $249 million.
This project will occur under a separate contract and is expected to be completed by 2016.
In the interim, Seven Group Holdings is expected to proceed this year with demolition of the Perth Entertainment Centre.
The 2.5-hectare Entertainment Centre site will be redeveloped into a mixed-use commercial, residential and office precinct, but specific plans remain undecided.
The clearing of the City Link site will be getting under way as construction of the adjacent Perth Arena approaches completion.
The City Link project will open up 14ha of land running west from the Horseshoe Bridge to the new Perth Arena.
Funding support for City Link has come from all three tiers of government, with contributions of $263 million from the federal government for the rail component, plus $336 million from the state government and $38 million from the City of Perth for the rail component and the bus station sinking.
The state government has predicted City Link will attract $3 billion of private sector investment. Preparation work at Perth Train Station for the plan to sink 325 metres of westbound rail is already under way.
Transport Minister Troy Buswell said John Holland and GHD would now immediately progress planning and design, with the first significant work to begin at the station later this year.