RAILCAR MANUFACTURING RETURNS TO WA🚉 On March 4, 1994, the Midland Railway Workshops were closed by the government, which ended close to 100 years of WA railway history. Now, more than 20 years later, railcar manufacturing is returning to the Midland area. The Mark McGowan Government has formally signed a 10-year, $1.3 billion contract with global train manufacturer ALSTOM to build 246 new rail cars to service the Metronet project, right here in Perth. | ABC Perth