B.C. picks P3 team for $2.8B Broadway subway project, construction to start later this year

The transit project includes five kilometres of new tunnel, as well as a 700 metre elevated section

The British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has selected a preferred proponent for a major subway expansion in Vancouver.

The province said July 17 it has picked the Acciona-Ghella Joint Venture team to design, build and partially finance the $2.83 billion construction project that will extend the Millennium SkyTrain line by 5.7 kilometres. The penultimate step in procurement clears the way for final contract negotiations between the P3 team and the province.

Carlos Planelles, the managing director for Acciona North America, said the subway project will become the Madrid-based infrastructure firm’s sixth active project on Canada’s West Coast.

“We are proud to share the trust of the province of B.C. and are looking forward to another strong collaboration with Ghella,” Planelles said in a release, adding that the Rome-headquartered company has valuable experience in underground work.

Tunnelling and underground station construction are two key elements of the latest transit expansion. Five kilometres of the Millennium Line extension will run underground between Great Northern Way to Arbutus Street. The final 700 metres of the project will be elevated, linking up with the existing line at VCC-Clark Station.

A map of the subway extension. PHOTO: Government of B.C.

All six of the new stations will be built underground, including a transfer to the Canada Line at Cambie Street.

Barring any last-minute issues with contract negotiations, the Acciona-Ghella team will have topped two other consortia vying for the project. The province issued a request for proposals for the work more than a year ago and has been working through the competitive bidding process since. Last fall, one of the teams originally shortlisted for the work was forced to pull out when SNC-Lavalin Inc. restructured and ceased bidding on fixed-price construction contracts.

Construction on the subway line is scheduled to start later this year. Its first trains are expected to begin running passengers beneath West Broadway Street in 2025.

A complete breakdown of the Acciona-Ghella Joint Venture:

Proponent: Acciona Infrastructure Canada Inc./Ghella Canada Ltd.
Design-build contractor: Acciona Infrastructure Canada Inc./Ghella Canada Ltd.
Design contractor: IBI Group Professional Services (Canada) Inc./Dialog BC Architecture Engineering Interior Design Planning Inc./Mott MacDonald Canada Ltd./Ingenieria Especializada Obra Civil e Industrial, S.A.
Systems integration contractor: Acciona Infrastructure Canada Inc./Ghella Canada Ltd./Parsons Inc.
Tunnel contractor: Acciona Infrastructure Canada Inc./Ghella Canada Ltd.