Analysis: NSW buys 2,000 rail cars from overseas in 10 years

The New South Wales government has ordered almost 2,000 rail and tram carriages from overseas manufacturers in just the last decade according to a new analysis by the Australian Manufacturing Forum. It means that Australian rail and tram manufacturing sector has been left to fend for itself with no support from the State Government.

“In 2000, NSW boasted major groups well able to manufacture trains as they had for decades – Clyde Engineering in Sydney and Bathurst and Goninan & Co at Broadmeadow in Newcastle NSW. Commonwealth Engineering’s (Comeng) Granville factory closed in 1989 after building numerous trains for 70 years.”

“This procurement stance means that our Australian manufactures are left to suffer and hurts the Australian economy. Maybe if trains like the NIF had been manufactured in our own backyard, we wouldn’t have all the issues we see today and workers would have actually had a say in the end product,” said RTBU NSW Loco Division Secretary Bob Hayden.

“This is typical of money-hungry governments focused on wasting taxpayer dollars and investing them in useless projects.”

Please click here to read the full article on @AuManufacturing.