Expression of interest opens for $12 billion Hunter train manufacturing program
NSW Government(NSW Government)
Newy 87.8 FM – An Expression of Interest opened on 25 September for manufacturers to design and build the next fleet of NSW suburban passenger trains, kickstarting a $12 billion program to build them at a state-owned facility in the Hunter.
The EOI, hosted on buy.nsw.gov.au, closes on 10 November. A 50 per cent local content requirement applies to all bidders, whether local or international.
The state-owned factory, to be operated by a private manufacturer, will anchor a 30-year manufacturing pipeline. Two sites have been shortlisted: the Broadmeadow Locomotive Depot in Newcastle and a former coal mine at Teralba in Lake Macquarie, with a final decision expected before the end of the year.
Broadmeadow is near where the original Tangara fleet was built between 1986 and 1998. The Teralba option is subject to further engagement with Glencore and partners over site acquisition.
The NSW Government says the program will support up to 780 workers in construction and approximately 550 ongoing jobs in the facility and supply chains. The Cardiff rail facility in Lake Macquarie already hosts the $447 million Tangara Life Extension Program, employing 100 qualified workers and 20 apprentices.
The government says the first locally built suburban trains, replacing the Tangaras, are due in service in the early 2030s, with the Millennium and OSCAR fleets to be replaced into the 2040s and the Waratahs in the 2050s.
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