NSW police stations that have not been upgraded for decades and trains destined to end service years ago will be funded in the state’s upcoming budget.
A $447 million injection to extend the life of the ageing Tangara train fleet will keep them on the tracks for another 12 years as the government investigates building replacements locally.
“NSW workers are great at building trains and under this government we will build trains here again,” Premier Chris Minns said on Wednesday.
“It’s going to take time, but we’re determined to do it.”
To buy time, 55 Tangara trains, which make up a quarter of the Sydney Trains fleet, will receive technology upgrades beginning in 2025.
The trains entered service in 1988 and they are the biggest contributors to maintenance faults across the rail network.
“One day, people in cities all over the world could be travelling on a train like this,” an advertisement told NSW residents at the time.
“Of course, we already can, on the Tangara,” it stated.
The Tangara fleet already had its service life extended to 2027 before Wednesday’s announcement.
Some $17.5 million will also go to developing a strategic business case to build a replacement fleet locally.
Supporting local manufacturing in government procurement was a key plank of Labor’s 2023 election campaign.
Mr Minns said the funding was a modest investment that would eventually unlock a huge boost to local jobs and industry.
“We’ve had a decade of missed opportunities and thousands of jobs offshored, while we purchased trains, trams and ferries filled with defects, faults and failures,” he said.
Transport Minister Jo Haylen said the Tangara extension was vital to supporting services until new trains were built locally.
Elsewhere, ageing police stations will be upgraded and more funds will go towards improved technology for investigators.
The high-tech crime branch of the state’s forensic evidence and technical services command will receive $14.2 million over four years after requests for its assistance doubled over the past five years.
The branch assists with telecommunication interceptions, data retrieval and DNA identification.
Stations in Sydney’s eastern suburbs will also be modernised with the funding boost.
Waverley Police Station will receive $18.2 million to expand offices and upgrade equipment rooms and custody facilities for the first time since it was built more than five decades ago.
Heritage-listed Rose Bay Police Station, dating back to the 1850s, will receive $4.7 million in upgrades to address leaks and mould, and ensure accessibility.
“The bones are pretty good, it’s really about tidying up the inside,” Detective Superintendent Jodi Radmore said.
The NSW budget will be delivered on June 18.
Source Agencies
