Premier John Brumby and Transport Minster Lynn Kosky take a seat on one of the new carraiges.
VICTORIA’S V/Line regional train services will receive a boost with 1000 extra seats to be on the network from next week after the 14th VLocity carriage enters service.
Premier John Brumby and Transport Minister Lynne Kosky visited Bombardier’s Dandenong train manufacturing plant on Wednesday to inspect the newest carriage on the V/Line fleet as patronage again hits a record high.
“Our regional rail network is booming with passenger trips on the V/Line system expected to hit 12 million for the past financial year. This is the highest number of passengers on our regional network than ever before,” Mr Brumby said.
“When the 14th VLocity carriage enters service, a total of 1064 extra seats will have been added to the V/Line network since August 2008 and we will continue to provide more seats with a further 40 carriages to be rolled out by 2012.”
Bombardier constructs the fleet at its Dandenong workshop and uses 70 per cent local content from Australian, Victorian and local suppliers.
Mr Brumby said boosting train capacity was great news for regional passengers but also great news for local suppliers and working families.
“Not only does Bombardier employ 60 on the factory floor, but using local suppliers means job creation filters down to small businesses in the Dandenong area,” Mr Brumby said.
The 14th VLocity carriage will undergo final checks before it is handed over to V/Line this week.
