ICN Victoria is working with the Victorian State Government on two major transport projects that will transform tram and rail services in the State.
Both the Next Generation Trams and the Melbourne Airport Rail projects have mandated local content under the government’s Local Jobs legislation, which focuses on sustained skills development.
The Victorian Government is investing $1.48 billion to design and manufacture 100 Next Generation Trams. This reflects the biggest single investment in trams in decades.
This project will deliver more modern, accessible and energy-efficient tram services to the network while supporting Victoria’s manufacturing industry.
Earlier this year, the Victorian Department of Transport hosted a webinar to introduce the Next Generation Trams Project.
During the webinar, ICN Victoria CEO Dianne Smith said local companies should be given a “full and fair opportunity to compete for work on major project aided by local content consideration”.
“Given Melbourne is so famous for our extensive tram network, this is such a signature project for the city as well as being a really important project for local jobs,” she said, adding that the minimum local content for this project, under the Local Job legislation, was 65 per cent.
“ICN’s role and this policy could not have been more important as Australia recovers from the effects of COVID-19 and the desire for sovereign capability have never been stronger.”
The Next Generation Trams will facilitate retirements of older high-floor trams, making the public transport network more accessible for all Victorians.
The Victorian Department of Transport is currently using ICN Gateway to seek expressions of interest from local companies interested in supplying to the project.
Meanwhile, Melbourne Airport Rail will connect Melbourne Airport to Victoria’s regional and metropolitan train network for the first time.
Trains will run on dedicated, new tracks from the new Melbourne Airport Station through to Sunshine Station. They will then travel through the new Metro Tunnel into the CBD before continuing to the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines.
This means passengers can get from the airport to the CBD in around 30 minutes, with trains running every 10 minutes. Passengers can also change at Sunshine to connect to the key regional centres of Geelong, Ballarat, and Bendigo. People from Gippsland will only need to change trains once between Pakenham and Caulfield to get to the airport.
The Victorian and Australian governments have each committed $5 billion to fund the Airport rail, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Premier Daniel Andrews jointly announced the route last year.
The Prime Minister said the airport rail was “a nationally significant project”.
“Victorians have been waiting a long time for it to become a reality. With construction to start in 2022, the agreement will support up to 8,000 jobs during construction,” he said.
“When complete, the link will slash travel times, bust congestion and be a major boost to the economy.”
The Premier said the project was the “key to our recovery and this design means it will benefit all Victorians.”
“As we continue our recovery, we need a long-term plan,” he said. “We need a pipeline of jobs for Victorians looking for work now and for those who will need jobs in the future. We said we’d deliver this project, and we’re keeping our promise.”
Construction will start in 2022 and is expected to be complete in 2029.
Companies interested in supplying to the project should ensure their Gateway profile is up to date and register their interest on the Melbourne Airport Rail Gateway page.
