High Capacity Metro
Train Project

Downer is proud to have delivered 70 HCMTs to support the passengers of Melbourne on the Cranbourne-Pakenham and Sunbury lines.

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Downer designed, built and now maintains the largest single order of trains in Victoria’s history.

The 70th and final HCMT entered passenger service in mid-2024, with the fleet being the only one to operate in the Metro Tunnel when it opens in late-2025.

The $2.4 billion HCMT project includes:

  • manufacture of 70 high capacity metro trains

  • construction of a state-of-the-art maintenance depot at Pakenham East

  • a light service facility at Calder Park to support operation of the HCMTs on the Sunbury line

  • two train simulators to support the training of drivers

  • 1,100 jobs

  • an $800m of investment in the Victorian supply chain

  • technology and knowledge transfer

  • a commitment to local content that will deliver jobs and industry growth

  • maintenance of the HCMTs to 2053.

The project was delivered by the Evolution Rail consortium comprising Downer, CRRC Changchun and Plenary.

Melbourne’s Bigger, Better Trains

The HCMT fleet is truly Melbourne’s Bigger, Better fleet offering:

  • 70 seven-car trains that can be reconfigured within a fortnight down to six-car sets or up to 10-car sets.
  • Capacity for 1,380 people – 20% more than any other train on the network.
  • The only trains to operate through the Metro Tunnel, the only trains on the network to be fitted with High Capacity Signalling, and this is also the first time this signalling has been integrated with an existing signalling system on a network anywhere in Australia.
  • 28 spaces for wheelchairs and other mobility devices in each seven-car train.
  • Additional headroom for guide dogs, automatic ramps and gangway barriers to help those with vision impairment, multiple grab handles—which serve to make the fleet the most accessible and inclusive on the Melbourne Metro Network.
  • Improved real-time information through dynamic route maps and passenger information displays
  • 60 per cent local content in the trains.
  • The only train on the Metro Melbourne network to feature First Nations livery.

The HCMTs are an awarded fleet

The HCMT Project has proudly won:

  • Leader of Rolling Stock and Public Transport Award – 2023 Victorian Manufacturing Awards
  • Environmental and Sustainability Excellence for Pakenham East Depot – 2022 Australasian Rail Industry Awards
  • Highly Commended Diversity and Inclusion Excellence for Women on Track – 2022 Australasian Rail Industry Awards
  • IS As Built Certification Pakenham East Depot – 2022 Infrastructure Sustainability Council
  • Highly Commended Public Engagement – 2018 International Association of Public Participation Australasia (IAP2)
  • Projects Grand Prix – 2017 Partnerships Awards
  • Best Transit Project – 2017 Partnerships Award
  • Asia Pacific PPP Deal of the Year – 2016 Infrastructure Investor Award
  • Asia Pacific Rail Deal of the Year – 2016 PFI Awards