Global rail technology developer, Vossloh, has opened a new production plant for railroad turnouts in Bendigo, Australia.
Vossloh manufactures switches and components for rail projects in the south and east of Australia, with its new plant having the capability to produce up to 200 turnouts a year.
The Premier of the state of Victoria, Jacinta Allan, cut the ribbon for the symbolic opening together with representatives of the company on Friday.
“With this plant, we are setting a global benchmark for precision, automation and sustainability in switch production,” said member of the Executive Board and COO of Vossloh, Jan Furnivall.
“For our Australian customers, we are expanding and optimizing our range of products and services, including the possible production of high-speed switches for a future high-speed line between Brisbane and Melbourne.”
The new plant has modern machinery, greater flexibility and increased capacity meaning Australian customers and major projects can be supplied more efficiently in the future.
Vossloh is involved in all major rail projects in Australia, including the Inland Rail project. This largest infrastructure project in the country will connect Melbourne and Brisbane via an approximately 1600 km long line for freight traffic.
The company also supplies all metro and regional railway systems across the country, as well as all mining companies. Vossloh is the market leader in Australia in both switch manufacturing and the production of concrete sleepers for railroad tracks.
In addition to modern production technology, the new plant in Bendigo is equipped with a solar system with a nominal output of 228 kilowatts and relies on energy-efficient technologies.
Opening event with around 150 guests from politics and industry
More than hundred guests from politics and industry attended the opening event on Friday. The day before, Vossloh had organized a major customer event at which the latest innovations in rail infrastructure were discussed with Australian customers.
