Downer_Rail

Downer Rail

Downer Rail

Rolling stock manufacturer


Downer Rail is a business unit within the Downer Group. As well as manufacturing and maintaining railway rolling stock it holds maintenance contracts to maintain rail infrastructure. The head office is located in North Ryde.

Quick Facts Industry, Predecessor ...

History

Pacific National GT42CU AC at Maryborough factory in November 2004
Sydney Trains A set.
Transperth B-series train at McIver in February 2010
Yarra Trams B-class Melbourne tram in Melbourne

The EDI Rail division was formed in March 2001 following the merger of Evans Deakin Industries and Downer Group to form Downer EDi. In July 2007 the division was renamed Downer Rail and in 2018 it merged with Downer's Infrastructure Services division to form Transport and Infrastructure.[1][2]

The history of Downer Rail began in 1867 when Walkers Limited opened a branch in Maryborough.[3] In 1980 Walkers Limited was sold to Evans Deakin Industries and included in the merger with Downer EDi.

Evans Deakin operated the former Clyde Engineering plants at Kelso and Somerton and Walkers Limited, Maryborough plant. It had recently reopened the former Cardiff Locomotive Workshops to build CityRail M sets.

In 2008 Locomotive Demand Power was established as a subsidiary to lease locomotives. In November 2009 Downer Rail became a tram operator through its 49% shareholding in Keolis Downer that operates the Yarra Trams franchise in Melbourne.[4] In July 2014, Keolis Downer commenced operating the G:link light rail line on the Gold Coast.[5]

In March 2015, Keolis Downer purchased bus operator Australian Transit Enterprises which operates the Hornibrook Bus Lines, Link SA, Path Transit and SouthLink operations with 930 buses.[6]

Products

Downer Rail has manufactured items of rolling stock at its factories in Cardiff, Somerton, Maryborough and Port Augusta. As the ex-licence holder for Electro-Motive Diesel products[7] it has also been involved in the procurement and maintenance of over 150 American built EMD SD70 series locomotives for BHP and Fortescue Metals Group's Pilbara operations.[8][9]

Diesel Locomotives

Electric Multiple Units

Tilt Trains

Services

Locomotive leasing

  • Locomotive Demand Power is a subsidiary offering locomotives for lease. As at January 2014 thirteen standard gauge GT46s and six narrow gauge GT42s had been built at Cardiff and Maryborough respectively with nine of the former leased to Aurizon.[11]

Light rail

Infrastructure projects

Maintenance contracts


References

  1. West, AM (1994). Made in Maryborough. Brisbane: Australian Railway Historical Society, Queensland Division.
  2. GoldlinQ selected to build Gold Coast light rail Archived 12 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine Railway Gazette International 6 May 2011
  3. Operator ATE Sold Australasian Bus & Coach 11 March 2015
  4. Manufacturers EMD Export Page
  5. Loneragan, David (14 June 2018). "New high capacity trains being assembled in Melbourne". Rail Express. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  6. O'Sullivan, Matt (1 December 2016). "$1.7 billion in new Waratah trains for Sydney commuter network". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 May 2018.

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