Those locally built EMUs for Brisbane and Perth are costing about 100% more
than if they were imported. It does place a financial limit on how many can
be built. The thing with NSW's purchases of rolling stock and vehicles
during the last decade is that the numbers required were huge and the
timescale short, so local industry simply didn't have the capacity to build
and deliver so much. It's an issue when you don't have even transport
improvement and growth across different governments. There was 16 years of
neglect to catch up on and also move ahead at the same time. Now,
unfortunately, there'll probably be another slack followed later by
another rush in an ongoing depressing political cycle. Very hard to
support a local industry in that environment.

All the tram work in NSW has been done for now. It won't be practicable to
set up local build for a mere handful of an extension on the existing CAF
order.

Tony P

On Wednesday, 29 March 2023 at 10:29:45 UTC+11 Mal Rowe wrote:

> On 29/03/2023 08:58, Matthew Geier wrote:

> > Just depends how much they want to pay for 'local content'. Victoria

> > and WA have been prepared to pay extra to keep the money in the local

> > economy instead of shipping it off shore. Maybe NSW will now do the same.

> >

> It's more than a decision to keep money at home.

>

> The decision to go for the E and G classes in Melbourne was based on

> hard learnt lessons about getting a tram that is 'fit for purpose'.

>

> The Sydney Variotrams were fit for the line because the design was

> modified to suit the real track in Sydney - because local Australian

> expertise was applied. They even survived 'that curve' - see attached pic.

>

> Melbourne's imported 'off the shelf' C and D class trams have proved to

> be expensive errors - unsuitable for Melbourne conditions. The D class

> are currently undergoing their second major rebuild to deal with design

> and manufacture faults.

>

> Gold Coast imported Bombardiers, Canberra imported CAFs and Newcastle

> imported CAFs all seem to be OK because the track was designed to match

> their limitations.

>

> The IWLR CAFs: best thing to be said for them is that their failure

> helped Melbourne to say "No Thanks" for the G class tender.

>

> Mal Rowe in a city that designs, builds and modifies trams

>