New Intercity Fleet

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New Intercity Fleet
Artist Sketch Sydney New Intercity Fleet Carriage.jpg
Artist's impression of the New Intercity Fleet
ManufacturerJoint Venture between Hyundai Rotem UGL Rail Mitsubishi Electric [1] [2]
Entered serviceTBA
Number built554 carriages
Formation56 4 car sets
55 6 car sets
Operator(s) NSW TrainLink
Depot(s) Kangy Angy Maintenance Centre
Line(s) served Blue Mountains
Central Coast & Newcastle
South Coast
Specifications
Maximum speed160 km/h (99 mph) (Track Speed)
Electric system(s) 1,500 V DC catenary
Current collection method pantograph
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)

The New Intercity Fleet is a fleet of 554 new carriages being built to replace NSW TrainLink's Intercity electric multiple unit fleet, replacing the entire V set fleet and allowing for the H sets to be reallocated to Sydney suburban services. The trains will operate on services from Sydney to Newcastle, Lithgow and Kiama. The first train is expected to enter service in March of 2020. [3]

Contents

History

In May 2014, the Government of New South Wales announced its intention to purchase new carriages for the NSW TrainLink Intercity network. The new trains will replace the V sets and allow the H sets to be cascaded to Sydney Trains services. [4] [5]

In August 2014, expressions of interest from manufacturers were called for. [6] [7] The following parties responded: [8] [9]

In July 2015, the government announced that Alstom, Downer/Changchun, Stadler, and UGL/Mitsubishi Electric/CSR had been shortlisted to tender. [10] Following the merger of CSR and the parent company of Changchun Railway Vehicles, Hyundai Rotem replaced CSR as a partner in the UGL/Mitsubishi Electric consortium. [11] The consortia provided two variants of their designs - a longer train and shorter train. [11] The Hyundai Rotem/UGL/Mitsubishi Electric consortium was announced as the successful bidder in August 2016. The companies formed a joint venture called RailConnect to manage the project. [12] The trains will be built by Hyundai Rotem in South Korea. [13]

The initial contract covered the supply and maintenance of the 512 carriages which would consist of 77 4-car trains and 34 6-car trains, as well as the construction of the Kangy Angy Maintenance Centre. [10] [14] [15] The maintenance contract runs for fifteen years from the delivery of the first train with an option for a five-year extension. [13] In February 2019 a further 42 carriages were ordered to convert 21 of the 77 4-car trains from the original contract into 6-car trains to allow for more 10-car train operations especially on the South Coast line during peak hour. [16]

A contract was let to Downer EDI Work to make modifications and upgrades to existing rail infrastructure across the electrified network to accommodate the New Intercity Fleet. [17]

Design

The trains are double deck electric multiple units measuring 163 metres for an 8-car set or 204 metres for a 10 car-set. [18] They will include accessible toilets and dedicated space for luggage, prams, bicycles and wheelchairs. Fixed seats on the upper and lower decks will be in a two by two arrangement. The seating will include cup holders, tray tables and arm rests. Each seat will feature a charging station for mobile devices. [12] The trains are being designed to be operated with or without guards, with tender documents stating the trains must support one-man operation. [19]

The new trains are wider than the V sets they replace and require modifications to be made to parts of the Blue Mountains line route to create sufficient clearance from adjacent structures. [15] Transport officials also want to relax safety standards for the minimum distance allowed between trains and tunnel walls, which is currently set at 200 millimetres. [20] A contract has been awarded to the Continuum Alliance, an alliance between Transport for NSW, CPB Contractors and Lendlease, to make these modifications. Work started in February 2019 with plans for the first new trains to operate on the line from the middle of 2020 all the way to Lithgow. [21]

Lines to be operated

The trains are expected to operate on the following lines: [5]


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References

  1. ↑ New Intercity fleet UGL
  2. ↑ Transport for NSW extends New Intercity Fleet order International Railway Journal
  3. ↑ NSW's $2bn order for new intercity trains running late Sydney Morning Herald 29 July 2019
  4. ↑ NSW Government to invest $2.8 billion in new intercity trains, making all trains air-conditioned Transport for New South Wales 8 May 2014
  5. 1 2 Intercity Fleet Program Transport for New South Wales
  6. ↑ Expressions of interest called for new $2.8 billion intercity train fleet Transport for New South Wales 11 August 2014
  7. ↑ New $2.8 billion intercity train fleet for NSW Rail Express 13 August 2014
  8. ↑ Strong local and international interest in $2.8 billion intercity fleet project Transport for New South Wales 9 October 2014
  9. ↑ Firms line up for intercity train deal PSnews online 15 October 2014
  10. 1 2 "Transforming regional train travel: Shortlist announced for new intercity fleet". Transport for NSW. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  11. 1 2 "Industry asked to tender for delivery of new intercity fleet". Transport for NSW. 4 September 2015.
  12. 1 2 "Comfort comes first with New Intercity Trains". Transport for NSW. 18 August 2016.
  13. 1 2 "UGL as part of RailConnect NSW to deliver $2. 3 billion New Intercity Fleet" (PDF). UGL Limited. 18 August 2016.
  14. ↑ "New Intercity Fleet Maintenance Facility - Notice to Residents and Businesses (September 2015)" (PDF). Transport for NSW. Transport for NSW. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  15. 1 2 New intercity trains too wide for rail line to stations in Blue Mountains Sydney Morning Herald 5 October 2016
  16. ↑ Explosion in growth; extra Intercity trains purchased to cope with demand Sydney Morning Herald 20 February 2019
  17. ↑ New Intercity Fleet Stations and Signalling Modifications Transport for NSW Reviewed 17 May 2019
  18. ↑ "New Intercity Fleet Fact Sheet - 2018" (PDF). Transport for NSW. 30 November 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  19. ↑ O'Sullivan, Matt (26 September 2016). "Train guards in firing line from NSW's $2.3 billion intercity fleet renewal". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  20. ↑ O'Sullivan, Matt (5 March 2018). "Safety standards to be relaxed for trains that are too wide for tunnels". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  21. ↑ New Intercity Fleet Springwood to Lithgow Rail Corridor Modifications Transport for NSW Reviewed 20 May 2019
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