AUSTRALIA: The New South Wales government has awarded the RailConnect consortium a A$130m contract to supply a further 42 double-deck electric multiple-unit cars, taking its New Intercity Fleet order to a total of 554 vehicles. The additional vehicles will enable peak services on the South Coast Line to be increased from eight to 10 cars.
In August 2016 the RailConnect consortium of Hyundai Rotem, Mitsubishi Electric Australia and UGL Rail beat Alstom, Stadler and a consortium of Downer EDI Rail and CRRC Changchun to win a A$2·3bn contract to supply 512 cars in 2019-22 and to provide 15 years of maintenance.
The EMUs are to have 2+2 seating on both levels, with wider seats than the existing rolling stock, at-seat charging points, dedicated luggage space, accessible toilets, CCTV, help points and digital screens
The fleet is being built in South Korea. Testing and commissioning of the first vehicles is scheduled to begin soon, for entry into service on the Central Coast and Newcastle Line in late 2019, the Blue Mountains Line in mid-2020 and the South Coast in 2021.
