Alstom has been awarded a EUR1 billion share (AU$1.8 billion) of a EUR4.9 billion contract (AU$8.8 billion) by the Suburban Rail Loop Authority in Melbourne, Australia, for the East section of the Victorian Government’s Suburban Rail Loop Project.

Alstom's scope includes rolling stock, digital infrastructure, signalling and maintenance, as well as overall system integration. The TransitLinX Alliance consists of John Holland, KBR, WSP, RATP Dev and Alstom. Alstom’s Dandenong manufacturing facility will build and deliver 13 four-car Metropolis automated metro trains, designed to operate at Grade of Automation 4 (GOA4) and supported by Alstom’s Urbalis Forward CBTC, a fully integrated signalling solution. In addition to supplying the trains, Alstom will deliver its FlexCare Perform comprehensive maintenance services for 15 years, covering the Metropolis fleet as well as the associated signalling and infrastructure to maximize system reliability and availability. The SRLA fleet will be maintained at a purpose-built depot in Heatherton, Melbourne, with the first Metropolis trains scheduled to enter passenger service in 2035.

The Suburban Rail Loop is Australia’s largest rail and housing infrastructure project, delivering a 90 km orbital rail loop through Melbourne’s middle suburbs. The first stage, SRL East, spans 26 km and six underground stations located near major employment, education and health precincts. Alstom Technologies will enable the second driverless train fleet in Australia, following the Alstom-built Metropolis metro fleet in Sydney, which entered service in 2019.