Victorian transport minister Jacinta Allan has given some insight into the state’s plans in the near future, identifying expressions of interest stages about to begin on a pair of major contracts.
“As part of the Budget, the treasurer outlined the intention of government that high capacity trains will be procured through a public private partnership,” Allan told an industry dinner on Monday, May 25.
The state has committed significant funding to purchase new rolling stock across its transport network.
“We will be looking to the private sector to manufacture, maintain and finance the 37 high capacity trains that will run on the Cranbourne-Pakenham rail corridor,” Allan explained, adding a successful partner would also be tasked with constructing “a new maintenance depot, and to conduct maintenance upgrades”.
“We will very shortly be announcing details of some information sessions – market soundings, if you like – to find out a little bit more about what we can expect to see through the expressions of interest process that is only a few weeks away,” she detailed.
As well as the update on the state’s rolling stock plan, the minister signaled that another major expressions of interest stage could be just weeks away.
Allan and state premier Daniel Andrews last week announced the contracts for the removal of the first four level crossings under the program, which went to a joint venture of John Holland and KBR.
And the government will soon embark on the next batch of level crossings, with Allan saying the nine identified crossings on the Cranbourne-Pakenham line will go to an expressions of interest stage “very, very soon”.
“This will see the removal of every level crossing between Dandenong and the City of Melbourne,” Allan said, “providing such tremendous opportunities for us to increase capacity along Melbourne’s busiest rail corridor.”
Roughly 240 people attended Monday’s event, which was hosted by the Australasian Railway Association.