The contract to design a future railcar depot, incorporating assembly and commissioning facilities for the new C-series trains, has been awarded.

After a competitive tender process, Aurecon was awarded the contract to design the facility in Perth’s eastern suburb of Bellevue, which is only a few kilometres away from where the original home of railways in Perth stood at the Midland workshops.  

The new depot will support the maintenance and operation of the B-series railcars on the Fremantle, Midland and Armadale/Thornlie lines.  

The assembly and commissioning facility, will allow for the local manufacture of 246 new railcars over the next 10 years, should the preferred supplier of the trains (currently shortlisted to Alstom Transport Australia; Momentum West and EDI Rail – Bombardier Transportation) not have a suitable location for assembly in WA.

The detailed design of the assembly and commissioning facilities is due to be completed towards the end of the year, with a construction contract to be awarded in early 2020. The contract to deliver the new trains will be awarded later this year with the first locally-built train expected to enter service in late 2021.

Planning approval was granted by the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority in September and this contract forms part of the $1.6 billion Railcar Program.

Read more about the new C-Series trains in our fact sheet and project definition plan summary .