The Queensland Train Manufacturing Program (QTMP) has reached a major milestone with the commencement of manufacturing at Torbanlea.

The project has now marked the completion of construction activities and the transition from construction into manufacturing. This is a significant step forward for QTMP, with all 65 six car trains for South East Queensland to be built at Torbanlea.

The high-tech production line is housed in a purpose-built manufacturing building. With a floor plan of over 22,000m², the building is more than twice the size of the playing field at Suncorp Stadium.

Inside, train carriages will be built from the ground up across eight dedicated manufacturing stations, where thousands of components will be installed to deliver modern, reliable and accessible trains for Queenslanders.

This achievement is a direct result of the dedication, hard work and commitment shown by the team over the past three years, who have worked tirelessly to deliver this milestone.

Executive General Manager, RTS Queensland, Kamal Habibullah, said the team were thrilled to be able to get train manufacturing underway.

“The opening of the manufacturing building at the Torbanlea train manufacturing facility is a major milestone for QTMP.

“The facility incorporates cutting-edge technology, the first of its kind in Australia, to facilitate precision engineering and streamlined processes. We are very proud of the project team and the role Downer has played in bringing this facility to completion.”

With our first group of new team members now onboard at the facility, manufacturing will continue to ramp up. The remaining infrastructure will be complete by the end of the year for trains to roll out of the facility and onto the tracks, ready to serve South East Queensland. Recruitment for the wider workforce is ongoing, with around 300 people planned to work on site at full capacity.

The coming months will see further progress— with many more milestones still to come.