WA’s McGowan Government says Perth’s Midland TAFE campus will be transformed into a training centre for the state’s Metronet rail program.
The Midland campus, just three kilometres from the future Metronet railcar workshops, will be redeveloped into a specialist centre to provide the specific technical and support skills required for the fleet’s manufacture and maintenance.
Opposition leader Bill Shorten said a Labor Government would support the transformation with $3 million in federal funding.
The Metronet railcar contract, worth $1.5 billion, is currently under procurement, with a shortlist named last August.
West Australian Premier Mark McGowan said he was pleased to make the announcement just days before the 25th anniversary of the closure of the old Midland rail workshops.
“The Midland METRONET Trade Training Centre will ensure Western Australians are in the box seat to capitalise on jobs and training opportunities created through METRONET,” he said.
“As METRONET gets underway, the world-class training facilities at Midland TAFE will ensure Western Australian workers are well equipped to manufacture the next generation of railcars.”
The winning bidder for the Metronet railcar contract will deliver 246 carriages from a facility in Bellevue. The government has expressed a desired target of 50 per cent local manufacturing for the vehicles.
The 246 carriages will operated in 41 six-car sets.
17 of these sets (102 railcars) will be needed from 2021 to service the expansions to Perth’s rail network as they come online, under the Metronet program.
The remaining 24 sets (144 railcars) will be part of a follow-on order, to replace Perth’s ageing A-series railcars between 2023 and 2028.
“The METRONET Trade Training Centre will complete the railcar manufacturing hub in Midland, which will support the local economy and create life and vitality in the area,” state transport minister Rita Saffioti said.
“It will complement our commitment to ensure at least 50 per cent of METRONET railcars are manufactured in WA.
“This is about preparing WA workers for the huge pipeline of future rail projects – not just across Perth, but wider Australia – and ensuring they have the skills to build and maintain our expanding rail systems.”