Bombardier NGR Consortium has won a A$4.4bn ($4.1bn) contract from the Queensland Government for the New Generation Rollingstock Project.

The consortium includes Bombardier Transportation Australia, John Laing, Itochu Corporation and Uberior.

Bombardier will supply 75 6-car electrical multiple units (EMUs), a new depot and provide maintenance for 30 years. The depot design and construction will be subcontracted to Laing O’Rourke.

"The project is the Queensland Government’s largest single investment in trains."

The contract also includes the maintenance of the trains for an extended period of around 30 years, as well as construction and upkeep of a modern, purpose-built maintenance centre.

The first completed train is expected to be tested by 2016, while all trains will be operational by December 2018. Bombardier said its share of the contract is about A$2.9bn ($2.7bn).

The project is the Queensland Government’s largest single investment in trains, and aims to significantly increase the train fleet to meet the rail services demand in south-east Queensland.

The project is delivered in partnership with Projects Queensland with Queensland Rail providing valuable technical input as well as ensuring integration of the new trains with the existing network.

The Queensland Government has identified a preferred location at One Ada Street, Wulkuraka for the new modern, purpose-built maintenance centre, following an assessment of potential sites against civil, operational and environmental criteria.

Headquartered in Germany, Bombardier Transportation offers ECO4 technologies that are built on the four cornerstones of energy, efficiency, economy and ecology.