en.Wedoany.com Reported - Alstom has put its first new-generation G-class tram into service in Melbourne, Australia, as part of a €700 million contract signed in 2022. The series comprises 100 vehicles, designed to modernize one of the world's largest tram networks.
The new trams are built on the Flexity 2 platform and manufactured locally at Alstom's Dandenong facility in Victoria, with a localization rate exceeding 65%. Ling Fang, President of Alstom Asia Pacific, stated that the entry of the G-class tram into passenger service demonstrates Alstom's ability to combine world-leading technology with local presence, delivering Australian-made trams to customers.
The NGT project is one of the most significant projects in Australia's rail industry, with manufacturing at the Dandenong facility supporting over 2,000 direct and indirect jobs. To further strengthen local industrial capacity, Alstom has invested €24 million in infrastructure and equipment upgrades at the facility.
The G-class tram was designed through an extensive consultation process involving over 1,000 individuals and organizations, including groups representing people with disabilities, tradespeople, passenger representatives, and public transport associations, to meet the operational requirements of the local tram network. The vehicles feature full-platform accessible boarding, regenerative braking, multiple doors, and an optimized interior layout, with a capacity of over 150 passengers, making them the most accessible trams ever built in Melbourne.
The G-class trams will gradually enter service on Melbourne's tram network. Alstom has been operating in Australia for over 70 years, and its Dandenong facility has manufactured more than 80% of the vehicles currently in service on the network. Alstom will also establish a dedicated facility in Maidstone, Melbourne, to provide maintenance services for this series of trams.
The entry into service of the new-generation trams marks a significant milestone for Alstom's operations in Australia. In 2026, the company has already delivered the first X'trapolis 2.0 train in Victoria and the first Australind train in Western Australia, with its local manufacturing capabilities continuing to play a key role in the development of urban rail transit in Australia.
