Rollingstock and rail systems manufacturer Alstom has celebrated the hundredth year of operations for the Ballarat workshops where it builds Melbourne’s X’Trapolis trains.
The site was opened in April 1917 by Victorian Railways, the main operator in Victoria at the time, in response to pressure from provincial groups calling for decentralisation of manufacturing from Melbourne to regional areas around the state.
The workshops were handed over to the State Transport Authority, then the Public Transport Corporation, after Victorian Railways was broken up in the 1980s.
Alstom purchased the site in 1999, and celebrated the facility’s 100-year milestone with a ceremony last week.
“The Ballarat site is an integral part of railway manufacturing in Victoria and has become the cornerstone of Alstom’s industrial base in Australia,” Alstom’s Australian managing director Mark Coxon said.
“The site holds significant importance to our business and we are proud to have delivered Australia’s largest fleet of trains from the site.”
Since taking over the site, the France-headquartered manufacturer has received orders from the State Government for 101 six-car X’Trapolis trains – a total of 606 carriages – making it one of the largest fleet of trains in Australia.
Coxon said the workshops have been a significant employer over the years, often employing generations of families that have resulted in parents and their children working side by side.
He also noted the importance of the facility in supporting and developing apprentices into trade professionals, while also supporting a significant local supplier base.
“Alstom is committed to manufacturing trains in Victoria for Victoria, ensuring the transfer of technology, supporting local jobs and developing skills,” Coxon said, before urging the State Government to continue working with his business.
“This commitment can only be met with a rolling stock workload that provides a sustainable long term operation. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the Victorian Government to establish a long term plan for the site – well beyond the end of the current build in late 2018.”