Wednesday, 6 December 2017

The home of Melbourne’s high capacity trains is taking shape, with the first locally sourced steel structures now in place and jobs to come in Gippsland.

The Pakenham East site, which is almost as large as 60 MCGs, will eventually house maintenance facilities for the fleet of new trains, a stabling yard for 30 trains, and a high-tech driver-training simulator.

More than 80 per cent of the earthworks have now been completed at the depot, with over 20 kilometres of rail track to be laid throughout the depot.

The High Capacity Metro Trains Project will create around 1,100 jobs and using 60 per cent local content, meaning work across Melbourne and regional Victoria. The new train depot consists of 87 per cent local content.

Hundreds of workers are already on site building the depot, with that number peaking at 400 next year. A further 100 long-term jobs will be required on the site to maintain the trains.

The Andrew’s Labor Government today announced that this record investment will bring regional benefits with Times Electric Australia to establish a manufacturing plant to be located on Hazelwood Drive in Morwell to build the traction and electrical auxiliary power systems for trains.

This work will create 23 new jobs in Morwell and seven elsewhere in Victoria, including six positions for apprentices or trainees, and three roles for workers from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Workers at the Morwell factory will undertake a range of duties including quality control, final assemblies, high voltage testing, logistic and warehousing.

Recruitment has commenced and employment opportunities will be advertised over the coming months. Times Electric Australia is working with the Latrobe Valley Authority to engage prospective candidates.

The bigger, better trains will progressively enter service from mid-2019 on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines and will eventually run through the Metro Tunnel to Sunbury.

Quotes attributable to Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing:

“It’s exciting to see work well and truly underway at Pakenham and to see more jobs on the way for Gippsland helping to build our High Capacity Metro Trains.”

“Whether it’s the site at Pakenham or getting on with delivering the Gippsland line – we are working hard to ensure better services and more jobs.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Eastern Victoria Daniel Mulino:

“With the steel structures in the ground at Pakenham – we are on track to see even more jobs flow at Pakenham as works progress.”

“This is part of our record investment to provide Victorians with a better transport system which creates regional jobs.”