Alstom has received a 2026 Australian Good Design Award for its Melbourne-bound Next-Generation Tram (NGT).
The tram was recognised in the Product Design – Automotive & Transport category for its contribution to accessibility, sustainability and passenger experience.
Derived from Alstom’s Flexity platform; the NGT is Melbourne’s G Class tram, and was developed in partnership with the Victorian Government. It was shaped through an extensive co-design process involving more than 1,000 stakeholders, including passengers, disability advocates, tram drivers and technical specialists, resulting in over 60 design refinements being incorporated during development – and almost half of them being focused on accessibility and usability.
Guillaume Tritter, Managing Director of Alstom Australia and New Zealand, said:Receiving this Australian Good Design Award reflects the strength of our partnership with the Victorian Government and our shared commitment to delivering a more accessible, inclusive and sustainable public transport network for Victorians.
The recognition shows what industry and government can achieve by working together.
In its assessment, the Australian Good Design Awards jury highlighted the trams’s combination of accessibility, sustainability and operational performance, referring to the unit as a ‘well-resolved project demonstrating strong integration of design, innovation, engineering excellence and cultural impact’. With its fully low-floor architecture aiming to enhance accessibility, the Jury also commended Alstom for the NGT’s balance of ‘civic presence, functional performance and social benefit’ noting the use of regenerative braking to reduce energy consumption and infrastructure costs.
Measuring 25-metres in length, the tram features dedicated mobility-aid spaces, enhanced priority seating, improved passenger information systems, hearing loops, improved wayfinding and optimised passenger flow, building on Alstom’s Flexity 2 platform whilst aiming to reduce power consumption and emissions.
The first 100 NGT units are now scheduled for delivery by Alstom.
