Overview
Melbourne just got new trains — and they're roomier and more accessible than ever. The first X'Trapolis 2.0 ran two passenger services on the Upfield line on Sunday 3 May 2026: a six-car electric model with wider doors, 20 wheelchair spaces, hearing loops and walk-through carriages that let you move from one end of the train to the other without stepping between.
It's the first of 50 new Alstom-built trains set to progressively retire the city's longest-serving Comeng fleet across the Craigieburn, Upfield and Frankston lines. Both runs were captured end-to-end by Melbourne train enthusiast channel Straya Trains, which filmed Set 05 making the inaugural trip.
French trainmaker Alstom confirmed the inaugural service in a media release issued the same day. The €300 million contract covers an initial 25 trains, with the Victorian Government already budgeting for a second batch of 25 — bringing the total fleet to 50. All are being built at Alstom's Dandenong and Ballarat manufacturing sites in Victoria.
Total Victorian Government spend on the project sits at $986 million, which also covers upgrades to the Craigieburn Train Maintenance Facility — where Metro Trains will service the new fleet.
First X'Trapolis 2.0 Passenger Service — 09:06 in r/MelbourneTrains
Each six-car electric train carries up to 1,225 passengers and is built on Alstom's Adessia commuter rail platform. Per the Victorian Government, the new trains feature wider doors, walk-through carriages and air suspension. Accessibility upgrades include 20 wheelchair spaces, semi-automated boarding ramps, hearing loops, tactile signage and real-time passenger information displays.
The design itself was shaped by a 2023 consultation period at Alstom's Tullamarine facility, where 1,632 visitors generated 641 pieces of feedback — resulting in 58 design changes before manufacturing began. Among the changes flagged by Metro Trains Melbourne's Accessibility Reference Group: extra wheelchair spaces and a reconfigured front carriage layout.
Speaking in a Victorian Government engagement video recorded during the consultation, Accessibility Advisory Committee member Liz Ellis framed the broader stakes of the process: "We want to get to the point where these things aren't things you need to point out anymore — they just become a standard in what you do."
The project's local-content settings sit at 60 per cent — above the state's 50 per cent minimum — supporting up to 750 manufacturing and supply chain jobs, a significant share of those in the Ballarat region.
Alstom Australia and New Zealand managing director Guillaume Tritter called the launch "a proud moment for all involved", thanking the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning and Metro Trains Melbourne for the collaboration. "The strength of these relationships has delivered something truly significant — a train built in Victoria, for the people of Melbourne," he said.
The first run of the X'Trapolis 2.0 — my experience in r/MelbourneTrains
First-hand accounts of the inaugural service are already circulating on the r/MelbourneTrains subreddit.
The remaining 49 X'Trapolis 2.0 trains will progressively enter service over the coming years. Alstom is also currently building 100 next-generation G Class trams for Melbourne at its Dandenong site — those are due on the network later in 2026.
The X'Trapolis 2.0 fleet is rolling out across the Craigieburn, Upfield and Frankston lines. View the full project details and ongoing rollout updates via the Victorian Government.
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Images: Transport Victoria