ALSTOM has commenced manufacturing of a fleet of 43 new trains at Metronet’s new plant in Perth, Western Australia.
A ceremony was held on June 7 to mark the start of work at the site and the effective resumption of train manufacturing in WA. The opening was attended by WA premier, Mr Mark McGowan, and minister for transport, Ms Rita Saffioti.
Alstom won a $A 1.6bn ($US 1.08bn) contract to supply and maintain the 41 six-car C series EMUs as well as two DMUs for the Metronet suburban network in August 2019. The six-car 25kV ac EMU fleet will comprise 102 vehicles for the Metronet expansion and 144 vehicles to replace the Transperth A Series EMUs built in 1991-1999. Each train will have capacity for 1200 passengers and will include three double-doors per car to enhance passenger flow.
The new plant is creating around 200 jobs including apprentices and aboriginal workers who will manufacture, test, commission and maintain the fleets for 20 years. Alstom has committed to sourcing 50% of the fleet’s content from local sources and the transfer of the latest technology and manufacturing processes to the plant. Alstom will also provide training and skills development programmes through dedicated partnerships with local TAFE and training organisations.
The new fleet will be maintained at Perth’s Nowergup depot and will utilise Alstom’s HealthHub predictive maintenance tool.
For detailed data on fleet orders from around the world, subscribe to IRJ Pro.
