Rail operator and supplier Alstom has won a $1.5 billion contract to maintain Victoria’s VLocity and classic fleet for the next decade.
Announcing the successful tender late in December, Alstom pledged to deliver better reliability, fuel savings and a new fleet control centre.
Alstom’s managing director for Australia and New Zealand Pascal Dupond said the contract continues the company’s 20 year association with VLocity.
The VLocity is the newest and fastest train on the state’s regional V/Line, with trains running on the Geelong, Ballarat, Ararat, Maryborough, Bendigo, Echuca, Seymour, Shepparton, Traralgon and Bairnsdale lines.
“I am humbled by the trust placed in us by the Victorian government to continue servicing VLocity trains for the next decade,” he said in a statement.
Mr Dupond said Asltom plans to establish the new fleet control centre in West Melbourne based on its Voyager Control Centre in the UK.
Alstom is a major supplier to the Australian transport sector. It has 2,300 rail cars operating across the country and is also supplying rolling stock and signaling systems for the new Sydney Metro Northwest.
Last May, Victoria announced a further 23 VLocity trains would be built as it replaces the older classic fleet as part of a $601 million investment to improve capacity on the state’s busiest regional lines.
There are currently more than 100 VLocity trains in service.
The state government also last year unveiled a life-size model of its next generation G-class trams, which will be built by Alstom in Dandenong and are set to enter the network by 2025.
The 100 new G-class trams represent a $1.85 billion investment from the state government.
The latest announcement comes after the Australian Railway Association (ARA) voted at its AGM last year to increase the representation of manufacturers and suppliers on its Board, with Mr Dupond elected as General Director Manufacturers and Suppliers alongside Seimens Mobility CEO Raphaelle Guerineau and Pacific National CEO Paul Scurrah.
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