Train deal a win for Queenslanders

The Newman Government has delivered a win for Queenslanders by engaging the private sector to deliver 75 new six-car trains.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson said the New Generation Rollingstock program would be delivered using an availability payment public-private partnership finance option.

“Proponents will seek financing from the private sector rather than government fully funding the project – the same model used successfully for the Gold Coast Rapid Transit and Sunshine Coast University Hospital projects,” Mr Emerson said.

“We are currently in the final bidding phase with the two committed proponents Bombardier Transportation Australia and AdvanceRail – a consortium comprising Mitsubishi Corporation and Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) – to award the contract.

“Our focus is on value for money and we are looking for innovation from both bids.

“The project is the largest ever single investment by Queensland in trains and will see a significant increase to the train fleet to meet the growing demand for rail services in south east Queensland.

“The New Generation Rollingstock project is a new way for government to order trains by taking a partnership approach with the private sector to design, build, provide ongoing maintenance and financing.”

The project is being delivered by the Department of Transport and Main Roads, with Projects Queensland providing commercial and project management responsibilities, and Queensland Rail providing technical input to integrate the new trains with the existing network.

The Request for Proposals closed in mid-2011 and after an evaluation of the responses, two proponents were considered suitable to progress to the final stage of the competitive bidding process.

The contract includes maintenance of the trains for a period of around 30 years, as well as construction and maintenance of a modern, purpose built maintenance centre at Wulkuraka in Ipswich. A contract is expected to be awarded later this year with delivery of the new trains to start about two years later.

Media contact: Andrew Berkman 0429 128 637