Local companies secure multi-million dollar work on new railcars

22/7/03 Three Western Australian companies have secured a total of $15million worth of manufacturing work on the new rail cars that will service the expansion of the urban rail network - the New MetroRail project.

22/7/03
Three Western Australian companies have secured a total of $15million worth of manufacturing work on the new rail cars that will service the expansion of the urban rail network - the New MetroRail project.
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said hundreds of direct and indirect jobs would be created as a result of these rail car contracts now and in the future.
"Part of the $437million rail car procurement and maintenance contract that was awarded to EDI Rail-Bombardier Transportation Pty Ltd Joint Venture in May last year, included a provision to spend $172million within Western Australia," Ms MacTiernan said.
"This investment will generate an estimated 1,000 direct and indirect jobs over 15 years.
"The three contracts, which have been awarded for the supply of parts for the new railcars, are testimony to the impressive capability of WA industry."
The WA companies are:

  • RCR Tomlinson Ltd - $5million contract for the manufacture of nearly 200 bogies, which are the steel frames that support the rail car body and which house the wheels and their motors;
  • MRX Technologies - $4million for the design and manufacture of passenger information systems and $2million for the train driving simulator; and
  • Scharfenberg Perth (Australia) - $4million for production of the vehicle coupler systems.
"In all cases, local WA industry participation has been a major deciding factor in the award of the contracts," Ms MacTiernan said.
RCR Tomlinson has only recently been awarded the bogies contract and production has begun. MRX Technologies and Scharfenberg are well advanced in work on their contracts.
"The bogies will be fabricated and machined in RCR's Welshpool facility, employing 10 WA tradespeople for the next two and a half years and generating spin offs for other local suppliers," the Minister said.
Construction of the 31 three-car sets (93 cars) has started in Maryborough, Queensland.
They will arrive progressively in Perth from early next year for the start of services on the Northern Suburbs Railway extension to Clarkson in September 2004.
The final group of rail cars will have arrived by September 2006, in time to begin services to Kwinana, Rockingham and Waikiki by December 2006 and Mandurah in 2007.
Minister's office: 9213 6400