AUSTRALIA: Premier of Victoria John Brumby announced on February 6 that the state government had exercised an option for a further 20 six-car Alstom X'Trapolis suburban EMUs. The €170m order is an option on a €160m January 2008 contract for 18 units. They will be used in Melbourne, where 58 three-car sets have been in service since 2002.
Deliveries of the 38 additional trains are set to begin later year and run to through to 2014. Assembly work will be undertaken by United Group's Ballarat plant under a state government strategy to have a minimum of 40% local content over the life of the trains.
The X'Trapolis trains have three doors per car and wide inter-car gangways to facilitate high passenger flows during the peaks. The vehicles to be supplied under the latest order will have an updated version of the passenger information and CCTV systems.
