AUSTRALIA: Downer has formed a consortium with Hyundai Rotem to build, commission and maintain 65 six-car 1 067 mm gauge electric multiple-units for Queensland.
The Queensland government had selected Downer in February as the preferred bidder over CAF and Alstom for the A$4·6bn contract, which is predicated on the trains being built in the state. Downer has now selected the South Korean manufacturer to be its technology partner, finalising the contract with the state government on June 30.
In a statement, Hyundai Rotem said its role would be to support ‘vehicle design and material purchase for technology transfer and local production’. It would also provide spares and warranty services. The South Korean company values its share of the work at 1·22bn won.
According to the contract, the consortium has to design, manufacture and commission the trains and then maintain them for 15 years; there is an option to extend the maintenance package by up to 20 further years.
The consortium is also required to design, build and commission a depot for the new fleet at Ormeau on the Brisbane – Gold Coast corridor and to supply two training simulators.
The EMUs are due to be delivered from 2026, supporting Brisbane’s Cross River Rail project and the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Local production
As part of the A$7·1bn Queensland Train Manufacturing Programme, a state-owned factory is to be built at Torbanlea, 25 km north of Maryborough, where the trains are to be assembled. Work on the facility has already started.
The government said the programme would support 800 construction and manufacturing jobs over 10 years and provide young people with routes into skilled roles.
‘Our government made a promise to bring train building back to Maryborough, and we have delivered’, said State Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. ‘I saw how much this contract means to the men and women of Maryborough when I visited Downer earlier this year — now we can get on with the job of building. Because Queensland trains should be made in Queensland.’
