AUSTRALIA: The first of the Waratah Series 2 double-deck suburban electric multiple-units entered passenger service with Sydney Trains on September 6. All 24 of the eight-car units are scheduled to be progressively introduced by early 2019.
Transport for New South Wales ordered the EMUs from Downer EDI in December 2016 under the Sydney Growth Trains project, which forms part of the New South Wales government’s A$1·5bn ‘More Trains, More Services’ programme.
The Series 2 EMUs are similar to the 78 eight-car Waratah sets delivered in 2011-14 by the Downer-led Reliance Rail consortium under a PPP contract. Construction has been outsourced to CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles, which manufactured the bodyshells for the original Waratahs.
The Series 2 trains feature improved air-conditioning with ‘advanced’ temperature control, more than 90 internal and external CCTV cameras, two customer help points per car, improved accessibility with priority seating, wheelchair spaces and hearing aid loops, high-definition information screens and improved interior LED lighting.
‘We have built on the success of the original Waratah train fleet to deliver Sydney’s newest trains in record time’, said Downer CEO Grant Fenn. ‘We understand the transport challenges in New South Wales and the need to increase capacity as quickly as possible with improved passenger comfort and the highest standards of safety.’
