A NEW $14.6 million rail freight wagon maintenance depot has been relocated from West Melbourne to Sunshine North.
Public Transport and Roads Minister Terry Mulder said the G&V Equipment Maintenance Services Pty Ltd site would secure jobs and boost economic activity in the West.
He said Regional Rail Link works had resulted in government bodies and the private sector finding an alternative site for the rail freight operations.
Mr Mulder said VicTrack had managed to include the installation of a new wagon maintenance crane and canopy, track works, a hardstand area and turning circle, buildings, fencing, line marking and pathways as part of the relocation project.
“The Coalition Government worked closely with the then-Department of Transport and the Regional Rail Link Authority to ensure funding was secured to maintain rail maintenance operations,” Mr Mulder said.
Western metropolitan region MP Bernie Finn said the industrial areas of the western suburbs were ideal for the new depot.
“Melbourne’s western suburbs are ideally situated with key connections to the interstate and intrastate rail networks and with key industrial precincts like the North Sunshine industrial area,” Mr Finn said.
“The project in North Sunshine has provided a boost for local businesses and shops, and with the relocation of G&V’s operations from West Melbourne this economic stimulus will be ongoing.
G&V director Graham McGregor said he was excited by the opportunity to grow maintenance work at the site.
“We are also negotiating with CF Rail services with a view to it investing in the facility to create a workshop and expand the customer base, creating more local jobs and training opportunities for existing staff,” Mr McGregor said.
