Melbourne is to get 20 more modern E-Class trams.
The Victoria state government has announced a new order with Bombardier for new trams, taking the size of its E-Class fleet to 70 vehicles.
Officials say the $274 million agreement will secure 500 jobs at Bombardier’s Dandenong factory, which is currently completing an earlier order for 50 E-Class trams, and the wider supply chain.
The first tram of the new order is expected to be placed into service in June 2017 – by which time the first 50 should all have been delivered.
The 30th E-Class tram is expected to enter service on Route 11 soon. Currently, the new trams only operate on two routes but they will eventually be rolled out across the network.
