Transport

We have worked on the largest and most complex transport projects (road, rail, port and freight), and understand the key legal aspects, including project vehicle structures, concession deed negotiations, construction documentation, whole-of-life contractual arrangements and tripartite deeds with project financiers.

We are also at the forefront of related developments in Australia, both in establishing government policy frameworks, understanding legal and industry developments and in project evaluation and delivery.

Our practice extends throughout Australia and South-East Asia, Europe and America and has gained an unequalled reputation for managing all aspects of complex transport projects.

Our team provides a comprehensive range of commercially-focused, timely legal solutions across all aspects of the transport (including roads and toll roads) and wider infrastructure sectors. This includes advising on:

• project structuring and project delivery
• mergers and acquisition expertise
• project finance
• risk analysis and management
• preparation of project documentation and contract negotiation
• transaction and project due diligence
• planning, environment and native title advice
• corporatisation and privatisation advice.

Our experience includes:

Road

Domestic

• Peninsula Bypass, Victoria
• EastLink (Mitcham to Frankston Freeway), Victoria
• Melbourne CityLink, Victoria
• M1 upgrade project, Victoria
• Western Sydney Orbital, (Westlink M7 project), New South Wales
• Lane Cove Tunnel, New South Wales
• Cross City Tunnel, New South Wales
• M1 Motorway redevelopment project, New South Wales
• M2 Motorway takeover and upgrade, New South Wales
• M1 and M2 Motorways refinancings, New South Wales 
• North South Bypass Tunnel, Queensland
• Airport Link, Queensland
• Gateway Upgrade Project, Queensland
• Ipswich/Logan Motorway Upgrade project, Queensland
• Adviser to Department of Main Roads, Western Australia in relation to:
• Roe Highway Stage 7 project
• Karratha to Tom Price Road project
• New Perth Bunbury Highway
• Reid Highway
• Mandurah Entrance Road project

International toll road experience

• Northwest Parkway toll road, USA
• Indiana Toll Road project, USA
• Capital Beltway project, USA
• Pocahontas Parkway project, USA
• Pennsylvania Turnpike project, USA
• Trans-Texas Corridor project, USA
• Interstate 635 (I-635) toll road, USA
• Cikarang—Tanjung Priok toll road, Indonesia
• Incheon Grand Bridge project, Korea
• Paris-Rhine-Rhône toll road, France
• Lower Thames Gateway Bridge, UK

Rail

• RailCorp rolling stock PPP, New South Wales
• CBD Metro Project, New South Wales
• Gold Coast Rapid Transit PPP, Queensland
• Surat Basin rail project, Queensland
• Spencer Street/Southern Cross Station PPP, Victoria
• Melbourne train network, Victoria — adviser to Connex (Veolia) from 1999 onwards. This included advising the ‘Vibrant’ consortium in its 2009 re-bid for the franchise.
• Adviser to the Victorian Government on a number of rail projects, including:
  • Regional Fast Rail project
  • Wodonga Rail Bypass
  • Mildura Rail Corridor
  • Geelong Port rail access
  • Dandenong Rail Corridor
  • Northern Metropolitan Rail Corridor
  • Laverton Rail Upgrade project

Ports/Ferries

• Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal, Queensland
• Wiggins Island Coal Terminal, Queensland
• Port of Newcastle, New South Wales
• Dampier Port, Western Australia
• Oakajee Port Project, Western Australia
• Cape Lambert Port, Western Australia
• Cape Preston Terminal, Western Australia
• Channel Deepening Project, Victoria

Airports

• Adviser concerning a large number of airport privatisations and acquisitions, including:
  • Cairns and Mackay Airports
  • Sydney Airport
  • Hobart Airport
  • Perth Airport
  • Melbourne Airport
  • Darwin International, Alice Springs and Tennant Creek Airports
  • Gold Coast, Townsville and Mt Isa Airports
  • Wellington Airport
  • Copenhagen Airport

The mounting pressure on governments around Australia to deliver improved services to taxpayers means they are increasingly looking towards the role that the private sector can play in delivering these services. 

In Australia, transport has been the sector that has pioneered private investment in infrastructure development and delivery, particularly toll roads. We offer our clients unrivalled experience in the development and delivery of toll road projects. Our team has advised equity sponsors, debt financiers or government project proponents on every major toll road project in Australia over the last decade. In addition, our experience extends offshore.