Local railcars to provide WA job boost

More than 200 long-term jobs will be created in Western Australia as the state government moves to boost the amount of railcars made locally.

Under a new policy announced on Sunday, 50 per cent of railcars must be made in WA, a significant boost from just two per cent.

The government also expects hundreds of indirect jobs to be created as part of the $1.6 billion ten-year plan.

French manufacturer Alstom won the tender to build 246 new rail cars and an assembly plant in the eastern Perth suburb of Bellevue.

They will also build six cars to replace the existing Australind service.

Premier Mark McGowan highlighted the importance of local jobs in a statement on Sunday.

"When the Liberal Government closed the Midland Railway Workshops in 1994, we lost all the jobs and economic activity that went with it," he said.

"When people ride on a new METRONET train, everyone will know that it was build in Western Australia, by Western Australians."

The new Bellevue plant is expected to be completed in 2021.