The Suburban Rail Loop Authority has announced 13 four-carriage trains will be built in Dandenong at Alstom’s manufacturing site to operate on the Suburban Rail Loop East – the first time automated trains will be built in Australia.
New images show the SRL East trains will be state-of-the-art, accessible, safe and comfortable, with platform screen doors and modern passenger information systems. The carriages will have seating along the walls to create more space for passengers in peak periods, with dedicated spaces for wheelchairs and passengers with special needs, as well as flexible use spaces for prams, assistance animals and other uses.
The Suburban Rail Loop is Australia’s largest rail and housing infrastructure project, delivering a 90 km orbital rail loop through Melbourne’s middle suburbs. The first stage, SRL East, spans 26 kms and six underground stations located near major employment, education and health precincts.
All SRL East rail infrastructure, stations and buildings will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy, while energy regenerated during train braking will be used to power other trains on the network.
The two tunnelling contracts for SRL East have already been awarded, with major construction now underway, and tunnelling to start next year. More than 3,000 people are already working on the project, with trains taking passengers in 2035.