newy.com.au – The NSW Government has named a former mine site at Teralba as its preferred location for a state owned factory to build the state’s next passenger train fleet, while retaining Broadmeadow as an alternative.
The announcement on Tuesday, 20 October, follows a preliminary assessment of the Glencore owned Teralba land and a government owned site at Broadmeadow. Planning will now progress at Teralba, but the choice remains subject to further investigations, planning and land acquisition arrangements.
The government said Teralba offered a larger, more flexible site that could accommodate train manufacturing, assembly and testing, as well as future expansion.
The proposed factory is part of the government’s $12 billion Future Fleet Program, which it expects to support up to 780 jobs during construction and about 550 ongoing jobs across the facility and supply chains.
“This means good, secure jobs for workers in the Hunter, more opportunities for young people to learn a trade, and more business for local manufacturers,” Premier Chris Minns said.
The government says the facility would provide more than 30 years of train manufacturing work, beginning with the replacement of the Tangara fleet. Its longer term program includes replacing Millennium and OSCAR trains in the 2040s and Waratah trains in the 2050s.
The Teralba proposal also aligns with planning for the Macquarie Coal Complex Transformation Precinct. The government is working with Lake Macquarie City Council and Glencore on a state led rezoning process intended to support manufacturing and employment uses on former mining land.
Separate work to extend the life of the existing Tangara fleet is already underway at the Cardiff rail facility and in Sydney. That program employs 100 new qualified workers and 20 apprentices, according to the government.
The preferred site announcement follows the opening in September of expressions of interest for manufacturers to design and build the new fleet in the Hunter.
The government will now progress detailed site investigations and due diligence with Glencore to enable further planning, design and procurement work. Construction timeframes and delivery milestones are yet to be confirmed.
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