A $274 million, 20-tram order announced in May has been placed by the Andrews Government, with rollingstock to come from Bombardier Transportation’s Dandenong facility.
Bombardier signaled to the government early in 2015 that it may have to wind back its Dandenong operation as it came close to finishing the 50 tram order placed by the Brumby Government in late 2010.
Andrews announced in May the state would order another 20 E-Class trams. This week, public transport minister Jacinta Allan said the government had formally placed the new 20-tram order.
“The 20 new E-Class trams will provide certainty for manufacturers, secure 500 local jobs and boost Melbourne’s iconic tram network, to carry more people every single day,” Allan said on Monday.
“E-Classes are the biggest, safest and most accessible trams on the network.
“They are made in Melbourne, for Melbourne, and every single one of them has been ordered by a Labor Government.”
Yarra Trams boss Clément Michel said with the last of the 50 original E-Classes ordered due to enter service in May 2017, the additional 20 would help relieve a significant growth forecasted in the operator’s passenger numbers.
“Demand on Melbourne’s tram network is forecast to grow significantly in coming years and we need these new trams to help keep the city moving,” Michel said.
“As E-Class trams enter service, larger trams with greater capacity and real-time passenger information are being cascaded onto lines where patronage or demand is greatest.”
A statement from the premier’s office said the new 20-tram order “ensures there will be no changes to production levels at Bombardier for the next three years”.
The first of the 20 trams in the new order will enter service in June 2017, and all 70 E-Class trams now under order should be in service by late 2018, the statement read.
The 30th E-Class tram will soon enter service on Route 11. E-Classes currently operate on Routes 11 and 96, but the government plans to spread them across the network as they roll off the production line.
At a price 3 times more expensive than an equivalent tram….. Taxpayer money wasted
Tom you peanut better to be 4 times the price but made in Australia.i wonder how much tax you pay in a year
Tony, expending 3 or 4 times more in anything makes absolut no sense. Is not sustainable in the medium-long term. Taxpayer money should be more wisely expended
A totally irrelevant comment.
There is absolutely no sense in paying 300/400% more.
If the price differential were 10% it would be another matter but that’s not the case.
Tom’s personal tax has nothing to do with it. We need to get the best value for all purchasing!
Tom
I have a engineering business employing 20 Australians who all pay tax.If the government does not start giving projects to Australian tax payers they can pay them all the dole instead.
Only problem with that ,no jobs no tax payers, no money to pay the dole
John
An extremely relevant comment
That is good use of the taxpayer money don’t you think.We have to get it before we spend it.You obviously don’t pay tax either or you would be more interested in Australians having jobs to pay your precious taxpayer money to be wisely expended?
Again a totally irrelevant comment. I do pay and have paid a lot of tax and I want to see it being spent properly. If an Australian manufacturer has to be paid 300/400% more to do the same job when something is wrong with that business.
John
I think the only thing that is irrelevant is your knowledge of what is happening in Australian Manufacturing businesses.We can not compete that is why everything is closing.
Being a good or bad business.
Not all our people can work in goverment spending our tax wisely or logistics bringing all the goods in from overseas.
I will explain again as simply as I can
NO projects or support for Australian businesses
NO Australian Businesses
no employees
no tax being paid
no money to be spent properly or otherwise.
No money to fund all the good things we all enjoy.
The Goverment cannot give to anybody anything the goverment did not first take from somebody else.
Would it be best to support Australians so they can take it to give it back.
Like I explained we will soon run of money to pay all these people who used to have jobs
So we will not be worried about spending your tax money wisely because there will be none.
They can not take from overseas workers doing all these projects for us.