As such, the company run by Esther Koplowitz and that chaired by Juan Miguel Villar Mir, take another step forward in their respective internationalisation strategies.
The contract joins other important transport infrastructure contracts that major Spanish construction companies have won abroad in recent months.
The Toronto subway extension project, which ACS also tendered for, aims to extend the subway train service from the city to the regional municipality of York. It includes the construction of the Northern Tunnels and the Highway 407 Station.
Specifically, the contract entails the construction of a 4.5-km subway section, with three intermediate stations called the York University Station, Steeles West Station (this station is not part of the contract) and the Highway 407 Station, as well as a depot area.
The Highway 407 Station will be a new construction. The station will be built in a 'Y' shape and will comprise three levels, two underground and one aboveground. It will also have a bus terminal and an open-air car park with 600 parking spaces.
The consortium formed by FCC and OHL will undertake the works using two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) in three stages. In the first stage, the TBMs will work in a southward direction until they reach the depot area, covering a distance of 1.67 km. In the other two stages, excavation in two directions will commence from the Highway 407 Station.
Bolstering international experience
With this contract, the two groups are set to bolster the international experience they already have in railway construction and underground works.
As regards the group chaired by Baldomero Falcones, which a few years ago carried out highway construction works in the North American country, this contract comes on the back of a contract to construct line one of the Panama Metro, a contract awarded at the end of 2010 worth 1 billion euros. Furthermore, the group has gained extensive experience in metro and high speed rail line (AVE) construction in Spain.
As regards OHL, this international experience will bolster that already gained in metro and railway works in Spain. The company, run by Villar Mir, forms part of the Spanish consortium awaiting the contract decision for the Medina-Mecca high-speed rail line.
The two companies are also bidding for a contract to build the first high-speed rail line in the US, which will connect Tampa and Orlando in the state of Florida.
