Almost 40 years since the Tangara trains were built in Newcastle, the work to extend their life is coming back to the Hunter, with the NSW Government establishing two new production lines at the rail facility in Cardiff.

 

This investment will create around 100 new jobs and 20 apprenticeships in the Hunter, rebuilding the train manufacturing workforce after the former Government ended passenger train manufacturing in the region in 2013 and prioritised overseas manufacturers.

 

The $447 million Tangara Life Extension program will extend the life of 55 eight-carriage trains by over a decade by replacing internal cladding, the computer operating system, installing more accessible emergency help points, emergency door release, passenger visual displays, upgrades to the passenger address system and CCTV.

 

The two new production lines in the Hunter, in addition to the existing three lines at Auburn and Flemington, will increase the pace of train upgrades from 12 per year to 20. This increased capacity means more upgraded Tangara trains will be on the network sooner.

 

The 100 new jobs and 20 apprenticeships in the Hunter brings the total number of jobs on the Tangara Life Extension program to 320. 200 people including apprentices are already working on the program at Auburn and Flemington.

 

This investment in local skills will help develop the workforce that will build the new Tangara fleet in NSW, which will begin procurement by 2027 and meet the 50 per cent local manufacturing target as part of the Future Fleet Program.

 

The life extension program is part of the Government’s focus on improving rail reliability in response to the Independent Rail Review.

 

The Tangaras are some of the oldest rolling stocks and refurbished carriages will help to reduce maintenance faults. To date, four Tangara trains are undergoing upgrades with the first train now in the network undergoing dynamic testing activities before it re-enters service on the network.