Alstom to provide an additional eight X’Trapolis Trainsets for Melbourne’s Metropolitan Rail Network in Australia
Alstom has been awarded a contract by Public Transport Victoria, worth approximately €85 million, to supply eight X’Trapolis trainsets for Melbourne’s Suburban Train network.
The additional trains will add to the existing fleet of 74 (444 cars) X’Trapolis trains, previously supplied by Alstom to the state of Victoria between 2002 and 2013.
The new trains, composed of six-cars each, will allow the operator to provide additional services for the busy and growing network, while also increasing the reliability of the entire system. The first of the new trains are expected to be operating on the network in 2015.
“This order for additional trains by Public Transport Victoria is great news for the commuters of Melbourne, local jobs, regional manufacturing and highlights Alstom’s trusted local capabilities and excellence in project delivery”, said Bernard Joyce, managing director of Alstom Transport in Australia and New Zealand.
The X’Trapolis trains have an operating speed of up to 130kph with a passenger capacity of more than 1400 passengers. Each carriage has 3 passenger doors per side, customised seating layout and are equipped with a digital Passenger Information System (PIS) system. The X’Trapolis trains will be delivered from Alstom’s manufacturing centre at Ballarat in Australia. The Ballarat site has recently delivered seven X’Trapolis trains, ordered by the Victorian government in 2011, four months ahead of schedule.
Alstom is currently investing over €6 million to upgrade and expand the site, supporting the government’s commitment to the manufacturing sector with 65 new jobs and apprenticeships. This investment will also have a significant flow-on effect for Victorian component suppliers and service companies, supporting another 70 jobs along the supply chain.
