First HCMT moves to new home

10/12/2018

The High Capacity Metro Trains Project surpassed another milestone when the first new seven-carriage HCMT was hauled in the early hours of November 29 from our manufacturing facility at Newport to the new purpose-built Pakenham East depot.

Four diesel locomotives, a power car and 22 wagons hauled the 160-metre new train across Melbourne’s metro network to its future home in Pakenham East.

The train will undergo further mechanical and safety testing ahead of its introduction to the metropolitan mainline network early next year.

The highly successful outcome was the result of the commitment of hundreds of work hours.

When completed, the Pakenham East depot will feature state-of-the-art maintenance facilities, a train simulator and stabling infrastructure.

The specialist depot team will now focus on ongoing testing while the train is stationary to ensure it meets stringent international safety standards before the train proceeds to dynamic testing on the depot’s test track.

Manufacturing of the first new train began in Newport in June 2018  following an 18-month long commitment to stakeholder and passenger engagement across the public transport advocacy sector to support the development of the city’s first new train design in almost 20 years.

Victoria’s historical home of rolling stock manufacturing, the Newport rail yards, also received a $16 million upgrade to enable the city’s new fleet to be built in Victoria, by Victorians and for Victorians.

The largest train order in Victoria’s history will result in 1100 jobs, providing local employment while revitalising the state’s 100-year-old manufacturing industry to emerge as a future rolling stock supplier to Australia and the world.

The trains, with 20 per cent more passenger capacity than any other trains currently in service on the metropolitan rail network, will be introduced to the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines from mid-next year and will service the Sunbury line once the Metro Tunnel opens in 2025.