Manufacturing work has begun on the first Tangara train refurbishment at Newcastle’s Cardiff Maintenance Centre, with the NSW Government saying the project marks the start of rebuilding the Hunter’s rail manufacturing workforce and capability.
According to the NSW Government, the first of 18 Tangara trains to be refurbished at the Cardiff facility has entered the workshop, almost 40 years after the fleet was originally manufactured in Newcastle. The refurbishment is expected to extend the trains’ operational life by 10 to 15 years.
The government said the refurbishment program will employ around 100 skilled workers and 20 apprentices at Cardiff, supporting workforce development ahead of its planned return of large-scale train manufacturing to the Hunter under a $12 billion investment.
Premier Chris Minns said the government was seeking to restore local train manufacturing after years of offshore procurement.
“For too long, New South Wales got out of the business of building trains. We lost thousands of skilled jobs, manufacturing capability and the opportunity to keep billions of dollars of investment here at home. We’re changing that,” Minns said.
“The Hunter has a proud history of building the trains that kept New South Wales moving. Our job is to make sure it has the opportunity to do it again, and not just for one project, but for generations to come.”
The announcement follows the government’s commitment to establish a new state-owned train manufacturing facility in the Hunter, to be operated by a private manufacturer. The proposed facility is intended to support at least 30 years of train production, with potential sites identified at Teralba and the Broadmeadow Locomotive Depot. Final site selection will be subject to due diligence and stakeholder consultation.
The NSW Government said the new facility is expected to support up to 780 construction jobs and 550 ongoing roles across manufacturing and supply chains.
Transport Minister John Graham said the refurbishment program would help develop the workforce needed for future train manufacturing.
“It’s fantastic to see the first old Tangara train roll into the sheds at Cardiff, 40 years after it rolled out of Broadmeadow and began serving the travelling public,” Graham said.
“The Hunter has a rich history of building trains, and this refurbishment work is the perfect way to ramp up the workforce as we bring train manufacturing back where it belongs.”
The existing $447 million Tangara Life Extension Program includes upgrades to internal cladding, operating systems, emergency help points, emergency door releases, passenger information displays, public address systems and CCTV. Across facilities at Auburn, Flemington and Cardiff, 55 eight-car Tangara trains are scheduled to be refurbished over the next three years.
Minister for Domestic Manufacturing and Government Procurement Courtney Houssos said the long-term pipeline was intended to provide greater certainty for manufacturers.
“For too long, billions of dollars in transport contracts were sent overseas. We are turning that around by creating jobs, strengthening local industry and rebuilding our sovereign manufacturing capability right here in NSW,” Houssos said.
“Manufacturers have consistently told us they need certainty to invest and grow. By committing to decades of train construction and a minimum 50 per cent local content target, we are giving industry the confidence to build capability, take on apprentices and create secure, long-term jobs.”
Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said the refurbishment represented the beginning of a longer-term manufacturing plan for the region.
“The Hunter built the original Tangaras. Almost 40 years later, we’re working on them again – and this time, we’re building a pipeline of work that will last for generations,” Catley said.
The government said the refurbishment program is intended to bridge current maintenance work with future train manufacturing projects, including the planned replacement of the Tangara, Millennium, OSCAR and Waratah fleets over coming decades.
