❓ Ms. Hamilton asks about the progress of the WA railcar program and its comparison to the previous government's record. The Minister responds positively, highlighting the launch date of the first locally made train and contrasting it with the closure of the Midland Workshops by the Liberal Party.
AnsweredQoN 162Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
RAILCAR MANUFACTURING —
C-SERIES TRAINS
162. Ms E.L. HAMILTON to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the WA Labor government's
historic decision to return local railcar manufacturing to WA.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on the progress of the WA railcar program, including
the rollout of our new locally manufactured Metronet C-series trains?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how this job-creating railcar program compares with
the record of those opposite?
C-SERIES TRAINS
162. Ms E.L. HAMILTON to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the WA Labor government's
historic decision to return local railcar manufacturing to WA.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on the progress of the WA railcar program, including
the rollout of our new locally manufactured Metronet C-series trains?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how this job-creating railcar program compares with
the record of those opposite?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for the question. We now have a date for when the first
locally made train will come onto our public transport network, members. On
Monday, 8 April, our first C-series train made here in Bellevue will go onto
the network and be part of our public transport services. It has been an
incredible journey from when the Liberal Party closed the Midland Workshops
many, many decades ago. Since then, ad hoc decisions were made about how to
source our trains, but we made an election commitment in 2017 to bring back
railcar manufacturing to Western Australia—and we have done it. I remember
at the time of the commitment people told us it could not be done. There were
comments from the Liberal and National
Parties saying, ''Why would you bring an industry back from a bygone
era? Why would you manufacture locally?'' The reason is that it
is cheaper, the railcars are better and it creates local jobs and training.
Our
new C-series train is 143 metres long. It is a six-car train fitted with 400
seats, capable of carrying more than a thousand passengers, with more
doors for quick access. These trains will initially run north and south on the
Mandurah–Yanchep rail line managing more than 103 000 daily passenger
boardings. This is about supporting local jobs and local manufacturing. As I said,
over 50 per cent of the railcar is local content. More than 150 people are
employed at Bellevue, plus all the businesses that feed into that
manufacturing, including those building bogie frames, the pantographs, the
passenger seats and a number of other components all made by local businesses.
There will be a commemorative first
journey on Sunday, 7 April with a lottery for 150 places for the community to
be on that first train. People can access —
Mr R.S. Love : Aren't
there 1 000 seats?
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : We will be
inviting a lot of people, like the people from the Midland Workshops who the opposition sacked, for example. All those workers
who have been building it will be on there, because they are local workers, members. So, yes, we will make room for those train enthusiasts,
including those the opposition sacked 30 years ago, those who love our public
transport system and the workers out there. We are making room for them,
members. We are making room for members of the public. People can go to
mysaytransport.wa.gov.au to enter the lottery.
As I said, this was a policy that
the Liberal and National Parties said could not be achieved. It is one of the
proudest achievements to be making our trains in WA to go onto the rail
network, and I cannot wait to see those passengers boarding that locally made
train on the first normal service on a Monday morning. Western Australians will
be proud that we brought back railcar manufacturing to Western Australia.
thank the member for the question. We now have a date for when the first
locally made train will come onto our public transport network, members. On
Monday, 8 April, our first C-series train made here in Bellevue will go onto
the network and be part of our public transport services. It has been an
incredible journey from when the Liberal Party closed the Midland Workshops
many, many decades ago. Since then, ad hoc decisions were made about how to
source our trains, but we made an election commitment in 2017 to bring back
railcar manufacturing to Western Australia—and we have done it. I remember
at the time of the commitment people told us it could not be done. There were
comments from the Liberal and National
Parties saying, ''Why would you bring an industry back from a bygone
era? Why would you manufacture locally?'' The reason is that it
is cheaper, the railcars are better and it creates local jobs and training.
Our
new C-series train is 143 metres long. It is a six-car train fitted with 400
seats, capable of carrying more than a thousand passengers, with more
doors for quick access. These trains will initially run north and south on the
Mandurah–Yanchep rail line managing more than 103 000 daily passenger
boardings. This is about supporting local jobs and local manufacturing. As I said,
over 50 per cent of the railcar is local content. More than 150 people are
employed at Bellevue, plus all the businesses that feed into that
manufacturing, including those building bogie frames, the pantographs, the
passenger seats and a number of other components all made by local businesses.
There will be a commemorative first
journey on Sunday, 7 April with a lottery for 150 places for the community to
be on that first train. People can access —
Mr R.S. Love : Aren't
there 1 000 seats?
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : We will be
inviting a lot of people, like the people from the Midland Workshops who the opposition sacked, for example. All those workers
who have been building it will be on there, because they are local workers, members. So, yes, we will make room for those train enthusiasts,
including those the opposition sacked 30 years ago, those who love our public
transport system and the workers out there. We are making room for them,
members. We are making room for members of the public. People can go to
mysaytransport.wa.gov.au to enter the lottery.
As I said, this was a policy that
the Liberal and National Parties said could not be achieved. It is one of the
proudest achievements to be making our trains in WA to go onto the rail
network, and I cannot wait to see those passengers boarding that locally made
train on the first normal service on a Monday morning. Western Australians will
be proud that we brought back railcar manufacturing to Western Australia.
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