September 2026
On 25 September 2026, the NSW Government opened the expression of interest for manufacturers to design and build the next generation of NSW suburban passenger trains. It is the first formal step in a $12 billion program to establish a state-owned train manufacturing facility in the Hunter, to be operated by a private manufacturer.
Two sites are under consideration: the Broadmeadow Locomotive Depot, close to where the original Tangara fleet was built, and the former Glencore coal mine at Teralba. A final decision on the location is expected before the end of the year.
The government expects the facility to employ up to 780 workers during construction and support 550 ongoing jobs across the plant and its supply chain. The successful manufacturer will need to meet a 50 per cent local content requirement for rolling stock.
The first new trains, replacing the Tangaras, are expected in the early 2030s. The pipeline then moves to the Millennium and OSCAR fleets in the 2040s and the Waratah fleet in the 2050s, giving the region a 30-year run of work.
In the meantime, refurbishment of 18 Tangara trains is already underway at the Cardiff Maintenance Centre under the $447 million Tangara Life Extension Program, employing 100 skilled workers and 20 apprentices.
For local industry, a long and predictable pipeline is what makes investment worthwhile. Suppliers, fabricators and engineering firms across the Hunter will be looking at what it takes to upgrade their own facilities to compete for this work.