Construction towards a maintenance facility for NSW’s new regional rail fleet has begun in Dubbo.
According to minister for regional transport and roads, Paul Toole, $2.8 billion will go towards building the maintenance facility as well as replacing the existing XPT, XPLORER and Endeavour trains as part of the Regional Rail Fleet Project.
Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders said “the facility will include a main building for standard maintenance, a second for wheel maintenance and a train wash facility using non-potable water.
“The project will also include straightening the Main Western Line through the site and building three tracks within the facility for train maintenance and three outside of it.”
Construction will continue into 2021 and the new trains are expected to be running from 2023.
“The new facility will create around 200 jobs during the construction phase and approximately 50 long term jobs when it opens, including apprenticeships and traineeships,” Toole said.
Momentum Trains, a consortium which includes CIMIC Group companies Pacific Partnerships, UGL and CPB Contractors, were selected earlier this year to deliver the Regional Rail Project as a design, build, finance and maintain contract.