The Bendigo Railway Workshops is set to increase its staff by more than 50 per cent after being selected by train manufacturer Bombardier Transport Australia to perform overnight maintenance on V/Line’s fleet of VLocity trains.
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BRW managing director Brent Nally said the initial two-year contract would see 12 new maintenance jobs created at the workshop.
“It’ll actually create a sustainable platform for employment growth in the rail industry in Bendigo which has been developing over the years,” he said.
Mr Nally said the V/Line trains were already housed in Bendigo overnight, so it was a natural fit for the Bendigo company to take on the work.
“They get put to bed [here] so it makes sense that Bendigo is a prime spot to complete these services for them to be ready the next morning,” he said.
“Bendigo’s a last stop and it’s a stabling location so Bendigo Railway Workshops will provide more stabling facilities for the VLocity fleet, and at the same time conduct servicing in the facility, so it just makes sense.”
Mr Nally said BRW’s pre-existing relationship with Bombardier had helped secure the more concrete arrangement.
“We’ve been assisting with servicing the V/Line fleet historically with Bombardier but it’s been more on an ad hoc basis,” he said.
“We’ve completed collision repairs on VLocitys in the past and that experience has assisted with creating this opportunity.”
Bombardier’s director of business development Ben Phyland said BRW had been chosen on its record as a trusted and accomplished supplier.
“Partnering with BRW to conduct overnight preventative fleet maintenance on the VLocity fleet not only utilises the downtime of stabled trains in the evening, but provides BRW with a sustainable pipeline of work to increase its workforce and help grow its business in Bendigo,” he said.
“BRW’s existing capabilities and experience with the VLocity fleet makes it an ideal partner of choice for this project.”
The contract follows Bombardiers successful partnership with maintenance crews at its Ballarat East depot, which employs 35 staff.
Various investments in necessary equipment at BRW, such as vehicle lifting jacks, will begin shortly to allow maintenance works to commence over the coming months.
The workshops were built in 1917 by the Victorian Railways after a decline in mining operations led to a rise in unemployment.
They underwent a $6.5 million redevelopment in 2002 which was officially opened in 2004.
The VLocity trains are built at Bombardier’s Dandenong factory.
