Capital Metro Agency, representing the Australia Capital Territory (ACT) Government, has launched a request for expression of interest (REOI) for the delivery and operation of the light rail PPP project in Canberra.

The Capital Metro project provides a unique opportunity to shape Australia's capital city.

The 12 km light rail PPP project will be developed on a build, own and operate (BOO) basis. The contract period will be 20 years.

The total project investment is estimated at approximately A$783 million, which includes a nominal A$610 million plus A$173 million contingency.

Registrations of interest are due by 2pm (AEST) on 17 November 2014. Interested parties must submit their EOIs on or before 19 December 2014.

Capital Metro appointed in mid June Clayton Utz to provide specialist legal advice for the project. In May we reported that Ernst and Young was working on a business case, looking at costs, benefits, funding and ownership options, and ensuring all the opportunities offered by light rail can be realised.

An Arup-led consortium, which includes six local suppliers, has been working on the project's technical elements including engineering, design, construction, operations, urban design, maintenance, network integration, sustainability, land development and safety management.

This PPP project will be the model for other future potential projects to develop the Canberra light rail network system.

This contract follows the Sydney light rail project for which the Connecting Sydney consortium has been selected. This contract covers the design, finance, construction, services relocations, operation and maintenance of the 12 km LTR, as well as the operation and maintenance of the Inner West Light Rail network. The investment is estimated at A$1.6 billion.