Image: mikef_man/flickr
They’re a staple of Melbourne public transport, and now a new set of 20 trams have been rolled off the production line.
In an announcement by the Daniel Andrews government, the Premier and the Minister for Industry and Employment Wade Noonan visited Bombardier’s Dandenong factory to get a peak at the new 51st E-Class tram, which will soon enter service on the world’s biggest tram network.
The state government ordered these 20 trams for $295 million in 2015, which the government reckons saved 500 jobs at Bombardier and local suppliers, after the “former Liberal government failed to order a single tram in four years”.
‘The project is also supporting the transition of ex-automotive workers, with Bombardier identifying a number of opportunities for reskilling’, a release from the state government said.
According to the state government, E-Class trams are the biggest and most accessible in Melbourne, featuring new floors, more myki readers, better information and space for more than 200 passengers.
Of course, safety is a big concern, and the government said new E-Class models will be even safer and more comfortable than the current model, with more rails and handles for passengers to hold.
The new trams are part of the government’s rolling stock strategy – Trains, Trams, Jobs – which sets out a ten-year order book for hundreds of new trains and trams for Victoria.
The strategy will ensure the supply of new trains and trams keeps pace with patronage growth, and provides certainty to manufacturers and workers in the local rolling stock industry, which employs up to 10,000 Victorians.
The 51st E-Class built in Dandenong will now undergo testing and commissioning at Yarra Trams’ Preston workshop before joining the current E-Class fleet, which operates on routes 96, 86 and 11.
All 70 new E-Class trams will be in service by the end of next year.
