The Government of Victoria has announced the shortlist of consortia vying to deliver the $7 billion first stage of the East West Link. Global and Australian construction companies are featured, including some of the world's leading tunnelling firms, as well as every major Australian construction firm.

Three consortia have been chosen after considering four expressions of interest to deliver the project. The shortlisted groups are:

East West Connect

•     Capella Capital as agent for Capella Capital partnership
•     Lend Lease Engineering
•     Acciona Infrastructure Australia
•     Bouygues Travaux Publics
•     Lend Lease Services
•     Lend Lease Infrastructure Investments
•     Bouygues Construction Australia

Inner Link Group

•     Cintra Infraestructuras
•     Retail Employees Superannuation, acting as Trustee for Retail Employees Superannuation Trust
•     Samsung C&T Corporation
•     Ferrovial Agroman (Australia)
•     Ghella
•     Transfield Services (Australia)
•     Macquarie Capital (Australia)

Momentum Infrastructure

•     John Holland
•     Dragados Australia
•     Leighton Contractors
•     Iridium Concesiones de Infraestructuras
•     The Bank of Tokyo - Mitsubishi UFJ

The consortium formed by Salini, Impregilo, Hyundai, Egis, InfraLinx Capital and Aquasia was the only consortium that submitted interest in the project and was not qualified.

The East West Link project is an 18-kilometre cross city connection north of the Melbourne central business district. The full East West Link dramatically improves the connectivity between Melbourne's established east and rapidly growing west, joining the Eastern Freeway at Hoddle Street with the Western Ring Road in Sunshine West.

The East West Link project will be delivered as an availability PPP with the state initially retaining tolling and traffic risk.

The East West Link Stage 1 has an estimated capital cost of between $6 billion and $8 billion.