Transport — rail and tram composites

Fleets we have worked on

Waratah
OSCAR
Millennium
Tangara
Sydney Metro
Hunter
Endeavour / Explorer / XPT
X'Trapolis 1.0 & 2.0
VLocity
Sprinter
Melbourne MLRV E-Class
NGT trams
Perth Metronet
SMU / IMU
QNGR

RPC is a highly experienced and trusted provider of Composite solutions for the Transport sector delivering value through innovative design and manufacturing capability. We provide end-to-end solutions from design and engineering to component manufacture and assembly, along with Through Life Support (TLS) maintenance services for a vast range of passenger transport systems.

Since 2019, RPC has established a strong presence in the Indian market, successfully delivering composite components (Front Ends) for RRTS/MTRS for India, as well as the Sydney Metro and Montreal REM projects. In response to growing demand, a new and expanded RPC India facility became fully operational in 2025.

Also from RPC Transport

Crash repairs and on-site inspections
Refurbishment of seating and interiors
Remediation works on train sets
Electrical harnessing
Testing – in-house and external laboratory (EN45545)
Quality planning, RAMS and LCC analysis
Manuals and training

RPC components are on trains running across every major Australian rail network today
Certified and approved supplier to global OEMs
Growing presence in India in partnership with Alstom (RPC India, Coimbatore)
Ready for local manufacturing programmes in NSW (Newcastle / Hunter region)

Rail seats designed and supplied: 150,000+
VLocity GRP nose cones, BR566 Type 2Alstom, for V/Line: 46
X'Trapolis 2.0 full-scale mock-upMotor car + trailer car: 40m
Stakeholder user groups reviewed the X'Trapolis 2.0 mock-up: 60+

What we deliver

End-to-end solutions from design and engineering to component manufacture and assembly, along with Through Life Support (TLS) maintenance services.

Front-End Masks & Cab Fronts
Interiors
Seats
Mock-ups
Toilet Modules
Lighting

Front-End Masks & Cab Fronts

Exteriors GRP – front masks, nose cones, canopies, cab skirts and coupler fairings for trains and trams.

VLocity (Alstom, for V/Line): 46 GRP nose cones to ballistic standard BR566 Type 2, infused in one piece, assembled and painted at Corio (2023–2025).
Melbourne's Next Generation Tram (Alstom): front end and roof hood assembly at Corio.
Front ends for RRTS/MTRS for India, as well as the Sydney Metro and Montreal REM projects, from RPC India.
Hunter Manufacturing Excellence Award for Innovation (2010) for vacuum infusion of passenger train cab fronts.

Case studyVLocity nose cones

VLocity GRP nose cone in production at Corio

Interiors

Passenger rail interiors are a particular area of expertise of RPC, from driver cab interiors to saloon interior GRP components.

Cab interior GRP – driver desks and cab interior components
Saloon interior GRP – side walls, end walls, door pillars, ceiling panels, display covers
Interior components – luggage racks, grab rails, handrails, ceiling panels, draft screens
Refurbishment and refresh of rail car seating and interiors

Seats

RPC has successfully designed and supplied more than 150,000 rail seats, offering end-to-end seating solutions for rail projects. We develop customised designs, select the most suitable materials, and validate each solution through modelling, testing and FAI before production.

Fixed, Walkover, Flip-up, Rotating, Transverse, Longitudinal and Reclining seats; build-to-print or bespoke designs.
Seat-cushion assemblies independently tested by LAPI Laboratories (Italy) to AS7529.3 — combining EN45545-2 heat release and smoke/toxicity with the CSIRO 900g timber crib flame-spread test — met the highest achievable level (2018).

Row of upholstered rail passenger seats in the RPC factory

Mock-ups

RPC is leading the way in the design and manufacture of full-sized Hi-fi and Lo-fi mock-ups of the saloon and cab modules, used with great success in design validation and the stakeholder assessment process of major rail programmes.

X'Trapolis 2.0 (Alstom, Victorian Department of Transport and Planning, 2022–23): motor car and trailer car totalling 40m and ~35,000kg, evaluated by 60+ stakeholder user groups.
G Class tram (Alstom, 2023): a fully-operable mock-up.
Also Sydney Metro, Perth Metronet and NGT Melbourne trams.

Case studyRail mock-ups

Toilet Modules

RPC delivers complete toilet module and tank system solutions for rail applications, from design and engineering through to manufacturing, testing, installation support and commissioning — including standard and accessible toilet modules, wastewater and greywater systems, and fully integrated installation kits.

Perth Metronet DMU (Alstom, WA PTA, 2021): sanitary toilet modules including tank systems for six diesel railcars replacing the Australind service, with kits and final assembly in Perth.

Accessible rail toilet module interior with yellow grab rails

Lighting

RPC is the exclusive agent for the Australian market for LPA Lighting Systems, a world leader in the design and manufacture of high reliability LED lighting and electronic systems for the rail market.

LPA's product range includes LED Tubes, LED Modules, LED Gear trays, LED Luminaires, LED Step lights, LED Door status lights (internal and external) and Seats electronics solutions.

LPA Lighting Systems

Leveraging LPA's more than 42 years of experience, we can provide cost effective and energy efficient lighting solutions to improve reliability, reduce maintenance and life cycle costs for rail applications.

Projects

Transport projects

All projects

TransportCorio, Victoria · 2023–2025

VLocity nose cones

46 GRP nose cones to ballistic standard BR566 Type 2, infused in one piece, assembled and painted at Corio, completing a fleet of 141 regional 3-car trainsets.

Nose cones delivered: 46
Ballistic standard: BR566 Type 2
Regional 3-car trainsets in the fleet: 141