A growing public transport network needs more trains to service it.
The WA Railcar Program will deliver 246 new railcars needed for METRONET projects and to replace the ageing A-series trains, and six new diesel railcars to replace the existing Australind service between Perth and Bunbury.
World-class railcar manufacturer Alstom Transport Australia will build the C-series railcars at a new assembly facility to be built in Bellevue with the first of the new trains to be delivered in 2022.
The new fixed six-car trains will carry approximately 1,200 passengers and have an operational life of 35 years. Some of the features include:
- Additional and wider passenger doors to make it easier and quicker to get on and off
- A combination of seating styles to allow more seats to fit on each train and make every door fully accessible
- Technology including USB charging points, LED lighting and regenerative braking
- Floors will no longer be carpeted and will instead be covered in hard-wearing, easy to clean flooring.
The Railcar Program has been identified as a Strategic Project under the WA Jobs Act 2017, which has additional requirements for local job creation. Alstom has confirmed it will reach the 50 per cent local content target for the manufacturing of the new trains, bolstering our local manufacturing industry and maximising WA jobs.
Several contracts have been awarded to local companies as part of the project. These include:
- FIRM Construction: Construction of the Railcar Manufacturing and Assembly Facility in Bellevue
- Eilbeck: Supply of four cranes, the biggest of which will lift 25 tonnes
- Vector Lifting: Supply of lifting jacks, a bogie press and bogie turntables
- Vossloh: Manufacture and supply of turnouts for the Bellevue site
- Hoffman Engineering: Manufacturing of the bogie frames
- McConnell: Establishing a dedicated facility in WA to supply seating
- Aerison: Providing cab structures and battery boxes for the C-series
The WA Railcar Program represents the biggest order of railcars in WA's history and has come in $347 million under the original budget of $1.6 billion.
