The Victorian government has unveiled the designs for a new Melbourne tram facility in Maidstone, 10 km north-west of city’s Central Business District.
The new facility will be home to the new fleet of Next Generation Trams and will be used to maintain, clean and store the accessible, low-floor trams, as well as house tram operations and administration staff. The stabling yard will be able to accommodate up to 60 next generation trams.
The designs have been informed by community feedback and include modern and sustainable infrastructure, with energy efficient LED lights, recycled plastic materials and rainwater tanks which will harvest 80 megalitres annually to wash the trams. The facility will also include an administration and maintenance building which will be used for tram inspections, repairs and major tram maintenance to service the fleet.
Early works are now underway, with teams to spend the next few months preparing the site for major construction to begin later this year.
The Melbourne tram facility is scheduled to open in 2026.
The project will create around 280 local jobs in construction, ongoing maintenance and the supply of materials and services.
The government is investing AUD 1.85 billion (USD 1.2 billion) to acquire the new trams including the construction of the new maintenance and stabling facility. In April 2022, the Department of Transport Victoria awarded Alstom a EUR 700 million contract to supply 100 Flexity low-floor light rail vehicles including the provision of maintenance services for a period of 15 years.
The new accessible, comfortable and energy-efficient LRVs will be rolled-out in the west first from 2025 on routes 57, 59 and 82 servicing suburbs such as Footscray, Essendon, Moonee Ponds, Ascot Vale, Maribyrnong, North Melbourne and Niddrie.
The NGTs will progressively replace some of Melbourne’s longest-serving high-floor trams, providing better access for people with mobility needs and those travelling with prams, as well as offering improved capacity, with space for up to 150 passengers.
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