THE first of CBH's new rolling stock is set to land in Australia within months.
CBH director Mick McGinniss, general manager of operations Colin Tutt and a team of CBH employees recently returned from China, where they witnessed the first of the bulk handler's 574 standard and narrow gauge grain wagons roll off the production line.
The new aluminium wagons will be equipped with the latest designs and technologies including the ability to carry more grain in every carriage due to their lightweight construction.
The fleet will feature auto hatch and discharge doors and wagon tracking technology for ease and speed of use.
Wagons will also have consistent loading protocols and common equipment parts to ensure efficient maintenance and operator safety.
Earlier this year global engineering company Bradken was awarded the tender to build the wagons at its wholly owned Australian manufacturing facility in Xuzhou, China.
After returning from China Mr Tutt said the progress of the wagon build was meeting CBH's targets. He said it was pleasing to see how the components were coming together.
"We got a good feel for where things were at as we walked through the facility," he said.
"The most satisfying of all was to see the exemplary quality of the work carried out at the factory."
Mr Tutt said the wagons had the latest designs and technology, and would deliver a great deal of value back to WA growers.
"They are also much safer than the ones we use currently," he said.
"There will be significantly less direct interaction with wagons since the installation of auto hatch and discharge doors.
"The other key safety feature is we are introducing the use of a scanning device with a touch pad reader so our staff are no longer required to walk alongside trains completing paperwork for each wagon, it is automatically captured from a distance through the technology."
With 128 standard and 446 narrow gauge wagons on order CBH believed its new rail fleet would be one of the most modern dedicated grain rail fleets in the world.
