Work is ramping up to deliver Melbourne’s most modern trains – the X’Trapolis 2.0. The work is part of an investment by the government to deliver a modernised fleet to meet the needs of all Victorians.
A life-size mock-up of one of the X’Trapolis 2.0 carriages was unveiled in Tullamarine on 24 October 2022. Accessibility advocates and technical advisers such as train drivers and passenger groups will be invited to provide their feedback on the fully assembled mock-up in the coming months.
The AU$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 the manufacturer’s Ballarat factory later this year, bolstering the government’s commitment to support jobs across the 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.
In addition, the government launched the Mobility Supply Chain Centre of Excellence with representatives from the rolling stock industry. The Centre of Excellence is a partnership between the government, a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling and locomotives as well as the education sector to further support research and development into public transport technology innovations.
More than AU$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. The state’s Minister for Public Transport stated that 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. He added that the government is 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.”
Meanwhile, the Member for Dandenong said that the 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.
The Member for Wendouree noted that the record investment in locally made trains will create manufacturing jobs in Ballarat and apprenticeship opportunities for the next generation.
The Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle said that assembling these trains in Ballarat will result in jobs for regional Victorians as well as result in more reliable and energy-efficient train journeys allowing more Victorians to get to where they need to go.
The Managing Director for the Australia and New Zealand branch of the manufacturing company noted that 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 the company’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.
