Construction work on Victoria’s 23 new VLocity trains has begun at Alstrom’s Dandenong factory, supporting around 500 local jobs and the growing demand on the state’s regional rail network.
The Victorian government allocated $601 million in the Victorian Budget 23/24 to manufacture new VLocity trains. The investment accompanies a $219 million investment for nearly 200 additional weekend V/Line train services.
The new trains will roll out in the west to carry more passengers on the Melton line and offer more comfortable and reliable journeys on the Geelong and Bacchus Marsh corridors.
They will scale V/Line’s fleet of VLocity trains to 141, providing more passengers with reliable and efficient regional journeys in a boost for employers, businesses, and tourism, the Victorian government said in a media release.
The new trains will also enable capacity uplifts across the network and improve reliability for passengers by continuing the gradual retirement of Victoria’s long-serving Classic Fleet trains.
“We’re delivering record investments in public transport, supporting local manufacturing jobs right here in Dandenong, while making our transport network more reliable and more affordable for regional Victorians,” said Minister for Public and Active Transport Gabrielle Williams, who visited Alstrom’s facility in Dandenong today.
The larger and more modern VLocity trains will support the increasing popularity of the V/Linne network following the introduction of the regional fare cap in 2023, ensuring regional fares are capped at the same price as the metropolitan daily fares, saving regional passengers millions of dollars in travel.
Regional network patronage saw a 28 per cent increase in 2023, a significantly stronger demand compared to 2019’s 97 per cent.
