The Victorian Government has released the designs for a new tram maintenance and stabling facility in Maidstone – giving locals a sneak peek of what the facility will look like once complete.
The facility will be home to the new fleet of Next Generation Trams, located on the corner of Williamson and Hampstead roads in Maidstone. It will be used to maintain, clean and store the accessible, low-floor trams, as well as house tram operations and administration staff.
Victoria Acting Minister for Public Transport, Melissa Horne, said, “We’re keeping passengers moving across Melbourne by investing in our Next Generation Trams and we’re getting on with works to build this new facility to keep our modern tram fleet running safely and reliably.”
The designs have been informed by community feedback and include modern and sustainable infrastructure, with energy efficient LED lights, recycled plastic materials and rainwater tanks which will harvest 80ML annually to wash the trams.
The trams – which have space for up to 150 passengers – use around 30-40 per cent less energy per passenger, compared to an E Class tram.
The designs also celebrate Maidstone’s history, with the administration and maintenance building to include a saw-tooth roof design which is an acknowledgement of the industrial past of Melbourne’s west.
Victoria Member for Footscray, Katie Hall, said, “It’s great to see early works are now underway on this new energy-efficient tram maintenance and stabling facility in Maidstone, which means passengers in the west will be the first to benefit from our Next Generation trams once complete.”
The government invested in the Victorian Budget 2021-22 to deliver 100 Next Generation Trams, which includes building the new facility to deliver more comfortable, accessible, and energy-efficient journeys for passengers.
Early works are now underway, with crews to spend the next few months preparing the site for major construction to begin later this year. The facility is scheduled to open in 2026.
The site is on the Victorian Heritage Register, with the community encouraged to provide feedback as part of the project’s heritage permit by visiting heritage.vic.gov.au.
The project will create around 280 local jobs in construction, ongoing maintenance and the supply of materials and services.