AUSTRALIA: A mock-up built by Allweld Manufacturing is being used to gather feedback from future users including train drivers, people with reduced mobility and cyclists to ensure that a future fleet of electric multiple-units will be accessible for all.
In 2023 Downer beat CAF and Alstom to win the Queensland Train Manufacturing Programme contract to build 65 six-car 1 067 mm gauge EMUs, which will be assembled at a purpose-built manufacturing facility at Torbanlea.
The first unit is scheduled to begin testing in late 2026, with all expected to be in service across southeast Queensland in time for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The new trains will be compliant with the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport requirements, with features including wide access routes through the train, electronic levelling control and boarding bridges at all doors.
There will be 20 accessible spaces, 88 priority seats, two fully-accessible toilets, hearing loops, USB-C charging at all seats and storage for four bicycles.
‘The 65 QTMP trains will be the most accessible passenger trains ever in Australia’, said Queensland’s Minister for Regional Development & Manufacturing, Glenn Butcher on August 20. ‘The trains will have technology to reduce the vertical and horizontal gap between the train and platform, making it easier for people who use mobility devices, or are travelling with luggage or prams. When the designated accessible areas on QTMP trains are not in use by priority users, customers with bikes and e-scooters will be able to use these spaces.’
- A A$335m project has been completed to modify Queensland’s 75 New Generation Rollingstock EMUs; which were built by Bombardier Transportation. These entered service from December 2017, having been procured under a 32-year PPP concession. Disability groups then raised concerns that the design did not fully meet legal or functional requirements, which was attributed to a prolonged procurement process and unclear specifications. The manufacturer was awarded a A$361m upgrading contract in 2019.
