The Western Australian Government has shortlisted three consortia to participate in a tender for the supply of the 246 new railcars.
Alstom Transport Australia, Momentum West (CAF and UGL), and EDI Rail – Bombardier Transportation are the three suppliers to the make the list as part of the $1.6 billion project.
A supplier will be selected in early 2019 and a key consideration will be their ability and commitment to manufacture or assemble 50 per cent of railcars in WA.
The first stage of the project involves the delivery, in 2021, of 102 new railcars (17 six-car sets) to service the new METRONET projects as they come online.
A follow-on order for 144 railcars (24 six-car sets), to replace the aging A-series railcars, will also be included in the tender and are expected to be delivered between 2023 and 2028.
The WA Government also announced Bellevue as the preferred site for the new METRONET railcar manufacturing facility.
The proposed manufacturing facility will also be co-located with the Public Transport Authority’s next railcar depot, where Transperth will carry out maintenance of the broader train fleet.
Located one kilometre from the historic Midland Workshops, which for nearly a century provided hundreds of railway jobs for workers and apprentices, the new production facility site in Bellevue will bring more employment opportunities to the area.
Over the next decade, the facility will be used to assemble much of the extra 246 railcars required to service METRONET projects and replace aging trains on the Transperth network.
A Development Application for the depot facility on the same site is currently before the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority, with approval expected in the coming weeks.
