Preferred bidder named for Sunshine Station rebuild as Melbourne Airport Rail moves ahead
A CPB Contractors and SMEC alliance has been named preferred bidder to turn Sunshine Station into a six-platform hub, with a new Keilor East station linked to the Metro Tunnel due in 2031.
A preferred bidder has been chosen to rebuild Sunshine Station in Melbourne's west as a major transport hub, as part of the Melbourne Airport Rail project.
The Victorian Government announced on Wednesday 21 October that the Network Integration Program Alliance, a partnership of CPB Contractors and SMEC, is the preferred bidder for the Sunshine Station works. The announcement was made by Victorian Premier Ben Carroll.
The Stage 1 works at Sunshine include two new platforms for regional trains, an extended station concourse, new forecourts on both sides of the station and an upgraded bus interchange. According to the release, the upgrades will turn Sunshine into a six-platform hub.
The project will also untangle six kilometres of track between West Footscray and Albion.
"Untangling the tracks will create capacity for 1,000 trains a day, including future airport services," Victorian Minister for Public Transport Vicki Ward said.
Stage 1 is due to be finished in 2030. The government says it will allow more frequent services on the Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo lines and pave the way for future electrification of the Melton and Wyndham Vale lines.
Stage 1 is split into five works packages, and the release says three have already been awarded. Between them they cover moving underground utilities, reconfiguring tracks, building new rail bridges and building a new Tottenham Station. The fifth and final package, for a new Albion Station, is due to be awarded in 2027.
Stage 2 works are set to begin in the coming weeks and are due to be completed in 2031, when passenger trains will run to a new station at Keilor East. The release says the line will connect directly to the Metro Tunnel and have high-capacity signalling to allow frequent services.
The release does not give a cost for the works, a jobs figure or a date for when trains will first run to Melbourne Airport.
Sources: Victorian Government media release, 21 October 2026: Full Steam Ahead On Melbourne Airport Rail Adapted from “Full Steam Ahead On Melbourne Airport Rail”, Victorian Government media release, 21 October 2026. © Copyright State Government of Victoria, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence; this version has been edited and shortened, and party-political content removed. Illustrations: The Dosage.