- Published:
- Sunday 22 November 2015
The Andrews Labor Government has placed the order for 20 E-Class trams, securing hundreds of Victorian jobs.
The new trams will be built by Dandenong train and tram manufacturer Bombardier, who is currently building 50 E-Class trams ordered by the Brumby Labor Government.
The former Liberal Government did not order a single tram in its four years in office, putting more than 500 jobs at Bombardier and related suppliers at risk.
The Labor Government’s order of 20 extra E-Class trams provides certainty to these workers, and ensures there will be no changes to production levels at Bombardier for the next three years.
The last of the 50 original E-Classes ordered is due to enter service in May 2017, with the first of the next 20 expected on the network in June 2017. All 70 are expected to be in service by late 2018.
The Labor Government’s $274 million investment in 20 new E-Class trams was funded in the 2015-16 Victorian Budget and is part of Trains, Trams, Jobs 2015-2025, Labor’s ten-year rolling stock strategy.
The Plan sets out a long term order book that will ensure the supply of new trains and trams keeps pace with patronage growth, and provides certainty to manufactures and workers in the local rolling stock industry, which employs up to 10,000 Victorians.
E-Class trams are the biggest, safest and most accessible on the network. Each tram can carry more than 200 passengers when full, and boast state-of-the-art audio and visual passenger information, air conditioning, improved safety features and dedicated spaces for passengers with mobility aids or prams.
The 30th E-Class tram will soon enter service on Route 11. E-Classes currently operate on Routes 11 and 96, but will gradually spread across the network as they roll off the production line at Bombardier and into service.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan
“The 20 new E-Class trams will provide certainty for manufacturers, secure 500 local jobs and boost Melbourne’s iconic tram network, to carry more people every single day.”
“E-Classes are the biggest, safest and most accessible trams on the network. They are made in Melbourne, for Melbourne, and every single one of them has been ordered by a Labor Government.”
“We are delivering bigger, better trains and trams, and getting on with the major public transport projects our network needs, like Melbourne Metro Rail and the removal of 50 dangerous and congested level crossings.”
Quotes attributable to Yarra Trams CEO, Clément Michel
“Demand on Melbourne’s tram network is forecast to grow significantly in coming years and we need these new trams to help keep the city moving.
“As E-Class trams enter service, larger trams with greater capacity and real-time passenger information are being cascaded onto lines where patronage or demand is greatest.”