Employment benefits from major train depot

Certificates of appreciation were recently presented to three members of Wesley of Warragul.

The awards were presented to Lorraine and George Jones and Frank Beavis.

Permanent employment benefits of a new and major train depot at Pakenham East will flow to the Latrobe Valley with a new factory to be built at Morwell to provide a range of related functions.

Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing said the Morwell manufacturing plant for Times Electric Australia would employ 23 people.

They would include six apprentices or trainees and three workers from disadvantaged backgrounds.

TEA will provide quality control, final assemblies, high voltage testing, logistics and warehousing.

The company is working with the Latrobe Valley Authority, established to create employment opportunities during the transition from

Lorraine, George and Frank have been members of the organisation for many years.

The presentation was made at the recent annual meeting. coal powered electricity generation, to engage the required staff.

Ms Shing said work on the Pakenham East site, equivalent in size to about 60 Melbourne Cricket Grounds, would cater for new high capacity Metro trains to be introduced to the metropolitan network from mid-2019.

About 80 per cent of earthworks have been completed, the first steel structures built and eventually there would be more than 20 kilometres or rail track within the depot.

It would house maintenance facilities for the new trains, a stabling yard for 30 trains and a high-tech driving simulator.

Ms Shing said hundreds of workers were already working on the development with the number expected to peak at 400 next year.

On completion there will be 100 long-term jobs maintaining the trains.