MTR and co-project leads, Plenary, together with the existing Sydney Metro North West operator, Metro Trains Sydney (MTS), have worked to extend existing Sydney Metro Northwest PPP contract that was awarded in 2014.
The new A$3.7 billion contract includes A$1.7 billion for new metro trains and core rail systems as well as A$2 billion for operations and maintenance of the combined North West and City and Southwest lines until 2034.
The project includes the integration of Metro North West, the metro rail conversion of the Sydenham to Bankstown suburban line and interfaces with more than 15 other packages to deliver a single 66km metro line with 31 stations running from Tallawong to Bankstown.
“MinterEllison provided, from the get go, a focussed and dedicated team supporting the MTR and MTS teams through all stages of review and analysis, negotiation and finalisation of the large suite of highly complex documentation (including conceptualising a range of novel and difficult contracting solutions) throughout the various levels of the contracting chain," said Rodney Chen, Principal Legal Advisor – Projects & International Business at MTR.
"Not only was MinterEllison's work technically exceptional, but the team also integrated seamlessly with the MTR and MTS legal, technical and commercial teams to provide coherent advice and solutions aligned across all streams," said James Nicholls, Senior Legal Advisor at MTR. "MinterEllison have built a strong and trusted relationship with the MTR and the MTS teams, and we look forward to working with them closely as we move into the delivery phase of this exciting project."
"This is biggest public transport project in Australia, involving greenfield and brownfield components, delivery activities in parallel to ongoing rail operations, all within the framework of an innovative extension to an existing PPP and the procurement rigours that such approach brings," said Owen Cooper, MinterEllison's lead Partner for the delivery aspects of the project. "It has been great to see our teams across Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Hong Kong offices rise to the challenge over the past three and a half years to achieve this fantastic milestone."
"The metro extension will transform Sydney for generations to come and we are delighted to have been able to assist them over the journey," said Jonathon Williams, MinterEllison lead Partner advising MTS. "Our team is delighted to have been able to work with MTS, MTR, Plenary and Sydney Metro to deliver a successful close to an extremely complex transaction."
The MinterEllison teams advising MTR and MTS on all aspects of the contract (including delivery, procurement of significant contractors, operations and maintenance and interface issues) included Owen Cooper, Jonathon Williams, Elisabeth Moran, Sian Keast, Tim Mitchell, Seles Ng, Sam Rafter, Phoebe Roberts, Safeera Moosa, Deanna McMaster, Luke Trimarchi, Clare Turner, Peter Block, Chris Devine, Ashley Murtha, Jennifer Cohen, Desiree Chong, Barbara Mok, Carey Kong, Greg Carfoot, Marjorie Daley, David Moore, Melissa Lai and Sarah Hampson.
