The NSW Government has identified Teralba in the Hunter region as the preferred site for a new state-owned train manufacturing facility, advancing plans to rebuild domestic manufacturing capability and support hundreds of jobs.
The former mine site, owned by Glencore, has been selected ahead of the NSW Government-owned Broadmeadow site following a preliminary assessment. Further investigations, planning and land acquisition arrangements are required before the project can proceed.
According to the NSW Government, the facility forms part of its $12 billion Future Fleet Program and is expected to support up to 780 jobs during construction and about 550 ongoing jobs across the facility and supply chains.
Premier Chris Minns said the project would restore train manufacturing in the Hunter, where workers had built trains for more than a century.
“We’re bringing them back, because we believe NSW should build more of the things we need right here at home,” Minns said.
The government said Teralba offers more space and flexibility for train manufacturing, assembly, commissioning and dynamic testing, with room for future expansion. The site also aligns with plans to transform the former mining land into an industrial and employment precinct through a State Significant Rezoning process involving Lake Macquarie City Council and Glencore.
Minister for Domestic Manufacturing and Government Procurement Courtney Houssos said the project was part of the government’s plan to rebuild domestic manufacturing in NSW.
“We are backing local manufacturing because it creates secure, skilled jobs and delivers long-term economic benefits for NSW,” Houssos said.
The facility is intended to provide a pipeline of train orders spanning more than 30 years, beginning with the Tangara replacement fleet. Future programs are expected to cover the Millennium and OSCAR fleets in the 2040s and the Waratah fleet in the 2050s.
The government said work on the Tangara Life Extension Program at Cardiff and in Sydney is already supporting workforce development, employing 100 newly qualified workers and 20 apprentices.
Minister for Transport John Graham said the proposed site had the space needed for manufacturing and testing and the potential to become a larger industrial hub.
The government will now undertake detailed site investigations and due diligence with Glencore, with construction timeframes and delivery milestones to be confirmed as the project progresses. Broadmeadow remains an alternative site while investigations continue.
The announcement follows the opening of an expression-of-interest process last month for manufacturing firms to design and build NSW’s next passenger train fleet in the Hunter.
