Victorian manufacturer Hofmann Engineering will build 900 bogie frames for Melbourne’s High Capacity Metro Trains, public transport minister Jacinta Allan announced on Thursday.
Allan said 30 new jobs would be created at Hofmann Engineering, based in Bendigo, as a result of the contract, which she said would help build 65 ‘bigger, better’ metropolitan trains for the Melbourne rail network, made from 87% Victorian materials.
Hofmann will construct the bogie frames, which will then be transported to Newport for additional components including wheels, suspension, motors, and gearboxes.
The assembled bogies will then be attached to carriages before being transported to the Pakenham East Depot for testing and commissioning.
Allan said the project will enable Hofmann Engineering and other businesses to diversify and compete for further highly-skilled work on other transport and infrastructure projects, keeping and creating jobs in Victoria.
“Bogie frames haven’t been built in Bendigo since the 1980s,” Allan said.
“We’re building world class trains and trams and we’re building them right here in Victoria. Our bigger, better, next generation trains will move more people and create more than 1,100 jobs for Victorians.”
“By working with one of the world’s leading rolling stock manufacturers, Hofmann Engineering will have an opportunity to drive a new wave of local manufacturing,” industry and employment minister Wade Noonan added.
“We see a long term future in Victoria’s rolling stock industry, and that’s why we’re building our trains and trams right here.”
The new trains, which are being delivered by a Downer/CRRC-led consortium, will enter service from mid-2019 on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines, and will eventually run through the Metro Tunnel to Sunbury.
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