- New external design for locally built six-car C-series
train revealed for the first time
- New train made up of at least 50 per cent local
content
- 246 new C-series railcars to be locally built
and manufactured at the METRONET Bellevue Railcar Manufacturing and Maintenance
Facility
In a massive milestone
for local railcar manufacturing in Western Australia, the first fully
completed, locally manufactured C-series train is now ready for testing on the
network.
The new 143-metre train
is fitted out with close to 400 seats, and for the first time, the new design
for the C-series has been revealed.
The fully completed rail
car set will be the first locally built and manufactured C-series train to
enter operations later this year on the Joondalup and Mandurah Lines.
Two C-series train sets
are already undergoing detailed diagnostic testing on the network but still
require seating and handrails to be installed, as well as the external design
applied.
More than 15 Western
Australian businesses are working with Alstom to provide components for the
railcars including:
- bogie frames (Hofmann Engineering);
- fuel tanks and battery boxes for the C-series from their
Forrestfield Fabrication Facility (Aerison);
- pantographs (mounts on the roof of the train that connect
with the overhead line) (Austbreck);
- passenger seats (McConnell);
- piping (Parker Hannifin); and
- metallic components (Unique Metal).
Once operational, the six-car C-series train will manage more than
103,000 daily passenger boardings safely, reliably, and smoothly.
When the first new
C-series train enters operation later this year, it will be the first locally
manufactured and built train to join the rail network in more than 30 years.
The decision to bring
railcar manufacturing back to WA is about creating employment opportunities and
helping drive new capabilities within the State for the rail industry.
Over the duration of the 10-year contract with Alstom, 246
new C-series railcars and six new Australind railcars will be built, while more
than 130 workers will be directly employed at the METRONET Bellevue
Railcar Manufacturing and Maintenance Facility.
The new C-series trains will help meet growing rail
network demand in the future with a significant expansion underway through
METRONET.
Comments attributed to Premier Roger Cook:
"By
the end of the year, Western Australians will be riding on brand new, locally
built trains on our network.
"My
Government is proud to put local manufacturing first and this marks a major
milestone in our commitment to bring rail manufacturing back to WA.
"As
we continue to build new rail across our suburbs through METRONET, our new
locally built C-series train will help to ensure a safe, smooth, and reliable
ride for Western Australians."
Comments attributed to Transport
Minister Rita Saffioti:
"This is a massive
achievement for local train manufacturing in Western Australia.
"The idea of bringing rail
car manufacturing back to Western Australia is something our Government
committed to many years ago, and to see the first fully completed C-series is
something all Western Australians should be proud of.
"This new train will be the
very first to enter operations later this year, and will also be the first
locally built train to enter our network since the 1990s, with the B-Series
brought in from Queensland and deployed directly on the network.
"Over the next 10 years we
will see 246 brand new, locally built, C-series railcars which will
significantly increase passenger carrying capacity for the rapidly growing rail
network."
