Australia’s Victorian government has promised to invest $2 billion on new trains in a budget which proposes “the biggest investment in public transport” in the region’s history.
As well as new rolling stock, the budget includes $2.4 billion for the closure of level crossings, $220 million for the Murray Basin Rail Project and $1.5 billion to continue development of the Melbourne Metro Rail Project.
The $2 billion new train budget breaks down as follows:
- $1.3 billion for 37 new high capacity metro trains
- $274 million for 20 E-Class trams
- $257 million for 21 VLocity carriages
- $90 million for five new X’Trapolis trains
- $75 million for maintenance and refurbishment to extend the life of the current Comeng train fleet
- $21 million to extend the life of the B-Class tram fleet
Australasian Railway Association (ARA) interim chairman Bob Herbert said: “Support from government for our local rail manufacturing industry is imperative to its future, having watched the decimation of Australian rail manufacturing and the loss of jobs that goes with that over the past decade.”
