The Craigieburn, Upfield, and Frankston Train Lines Will Receive a $1 Billion Upgrade

$986 million dollars has been set aside in the state budget to upgrade the Craigieburn, Upfield, and Frankston train lines.

Acting Premier James Merlino announced that 25 trains will be built with larger doors and more space for passengers and will be introduced to train lines that run through some of Melbourne’s fastest growing suburbs.

Transport Minister Ben Carroll confirmed that they had listened to the concerns of Victorians when making the decision and changing the designs of the trains.

“One of the big things they want, and tell me as Minister, is they want more space on the train and on the buses and on the trams, and the great thing about this new train is that it will have a capacity of 1200, replacing a train with a capacity of 760.”

The X’Trapolis 2.0 trains will mainly be designed and manufactured in Victoria and will replace the current ageing Comeng Fleet.

Merlino also announced that the manufacturing of the new fleet will create job opportunities for Victorians.

“This will support 750 jobs both in manufacturing and in the supply chain, right across Victoria.”

Manufacturing is set to begin in late 2022, and the fleet of trains is expected to hit the tracks in 2026.

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