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UGL Rail


UGL Rail is an Australian rail company specialising in building, maintaining and refurbishing diesel locomotives, diesel & electric multiple units and freight wagons. It is a subsidiary of UGL Limited and is based in Melbourne, with a staff of 1,200 across Australia and Asia. It operates factories in Broadmeadow, Chullora, Spotswood and Bassendean. While it used to operate a factory in Taree, the plant has currently shut down and the equipment sold off.

Founded in Australia in 1899 by Cornish brothers Alfred and Ralph Goninan as an engineering and manufacturing company for the coal industry. A Goninan & Co Limited was incorporated as a public company in 1905.

It entered the rail business in 1917 via Commonwealth Steel Products Company of Waratah, Newcastle, a wheel and axle manufacturer because they could no longer be imported from Belgium due to World War I. A Goninan & Co moved to more convenient freehold land at Broadmeadow in 1919 and built a flourishing business in general engineering. They made pitheads, boilers, wagons and a huge, cast 41-ton block for the district's coal trade. In October 1964 A Goninan & Co was purchased by Howard Smith.

In August 1999 A Goninan & Co was sold to United Group and rebranded United Goninan.

In 2005 it was renamed United Group Rail as part of a reorganisation following United Group purchasing of Alstom's Australian subsidiary, Alstom Transport Australia and New Zealand.

While most items were manufactured at Broadmeadows, it did purchase Comeng's Bassendean, Western Australia plant. This plant rebuilt many Pilbara Alco locomotives with General Electric components in the 1990s as well as building 17 Westrail P class and 60 NR class locomotives.


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