Alstom has celebrated the delivery of the first of 100 Next Generation G Class Trams (NGT) into passenger service in Melbourne, Australia.
The successful delivery marks the beginning of the fulfilment of a 700 million EUR contract initially awarded to Alstom in 2022, with the company set to maintain the new fleet from a purpose-built facility in Maidstone, Melbourne.
Built at Alstom’s Dandenong site, the NGT programme has supported over 2,000 direct and indirect jobs, with the company having invested over 40 million AUD in capital expenditure into the strengthening of Dandenong’s local industrial capability.
Ling Fang, Alstom’s Asia Pacific Region President, said:As the G Class carries passengers for the first time, the trams journey signifies what makes Alstom unique: leading global technology combining with unrivalled localised presence, to deliver a truly Australian built tram for our customer.
Design of the new NGT was completed in collaboration with over 1,000 stakeholders, including disability groups, drivers, the Public Transport Users Association and other passenger representatives, allowing the tram to be tailored from Alstom’s Flexity 2 design to meet the needs of Melbourne’s tram network – the largest in the world.
Each tram features low floor accessibility, regenerative braking, extra doors and aisle space with a capacity for over 150 passengers. The units are set to begin being rolled out across Melbourne’s tramway network in stages, where more than 80% of trains currently in operation have been built at Alstom’s Dandenong site during its 70-year plus history.
