Work is ramping up to deliver Melbourne's most modern trains - the X'Trapolis 2.0 - as part of an investment by the Andrews Labor Government to deliver a modernised fleet to meet the needs of all Victorians.
Melburnians had their first sneak peek of a life-size mockup of one of the X'Trapolis 2.0 carriages in Tullamarine today. Accessibility advocates and technical advisers such as train drivers and passenger groups will be invited to provide their feedback on the fully assembled mockup in coming months.
The $986 million project will deliver 25 brand-new X'Trapolis 2.0 trains and supporting infrastructure. They will be built in Victoria using 60 per cent locally sourced materials and will create up to 750 jobs for people in Victoria.
The new trains will be manufactured in Dandenong and assembled in Alstom's Ballarat factory later this year, bolstering the Labor Government's commitment to support jobs across our state and continue the pipeline of local manufacturing.
The new trains will gradually replace Comeng trains on the Craigieburn, Upfield, and Frankston lines, providing passengers with a more accessible, reliable and energy efficient journey.
The Labor Government also launched the Mobility Supply Chain Centre of Excellence with representatives from the rolling stock industry today. The Centre of Excellence is a partnership between the Government, Alstom and the education sector to further support research and development into public transport technology innovations.
More than $8 billion has been invested in new rolling stock and supporting infrastructure since 2015, supporting up to 10,000 Victorian jobs across the industry and supply chain.
As stated by Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll
"Victoria leads the nation in rolling stock manufacturing and expertise. The X'Trapolis 2.0 project is critical in solidifying local skills and knowledge based right here in our great state."
"We're continuing to invest in a pipeline of key rolling stock projects - whether that's our X'Trapolis 2.0 trains, next generation trams, high-capacity Metro trains or VLocity trains for regional Victoria."
As stated by Member for Dandenong Gabrielle Williams
"Our investment in this project means not only are we building these trains here in Victoria - we're boosting our local manufacturing sector by supporting local jobs."
As stated by Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison
"Our record investment in locally made trains will create manufacturing jobs in Ballarat and apprenticeship opportunities for the next generation."
As stated by Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle
"Not only will assembling these trains in Ballarat result in jobs for regional Victorians it will result in more reliable and energy efficient train journeys allowing more Victorians to get to where they need to go."
As stated by Alstom Managing Director for Australia and New ZealandMark Coxon
"The new generation X'Trapolis trains will deliver a much-needed network capacity increase without the need for major, costly infrastructure and power supply upgrades."
"The new trains, in line with Alstom's strategy to deliver greener and more sustainable mobility, will be more accessible, reliable and energy efficient. This important project will also pave the way for new, long-term employment opportunities in the rail industry, including multiple trainee and apprenticeships in regional Victoria."
