The
Sydney Trains
Sydney Trains is the operator of the suburban passenger rail network serving the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The network is a hybrid urban-suburban rail system with a central underground core that covers over of track and 170 ...
fleet serves the metropolitan lines within
Sydney,
Australia. All of the rolling stock are double-deck
electric multiple units
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number ...
and operate mainly as eight carriage sets.
Current fleet
History
The following lists all rolling stock to have operated under
Sydney Trains
Sydney Trains is the operator of the suburban passenger rail network serving the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The network is a hybrid urban-suburban rail system with a central underground core that covers over of track and 170 ...
.
S sets
1972 Comeng power cars
In 1972, the first Comeng-constructed stainless steel double deck power-cars entered service. These cars (C3805–3857) were loosely based on the recently introduced inter-urban cars, the
V set. Their stainless-steel bodies were painted the standard "Tuscan red" to match the livery of the existing fleet. Cars C3844–3857 were delivered in the blue and white livery of the
Public Transport Commission
The Public Transport Commission (PTC) was an agency of the Government of New South Wales responsible for the provision of rail, bus and ferry services in New South Wales, Australia from October 1972 until June 1980.
Upon dissolution, responsi ...
in the 1970s, and repainted to deep Indian red after 1976, before being paint-stripped to run in their original stainless steel finish in the early 1980s. They were initially marshalled into sets (from S11 onwards) with Tulloch trailers T4841, 4842, and 4845 to 4895, which had their passenger doors modified from manual to power operation. Internally, they had reversible seating with a light-tan upholstery, and a grey and off-white internal livery. Beclawat sliding windows were fitted to the upper and lower decks, with drop windows in the doors. The sliding windows were replaced with Hopper windows in the 1990s and internally they were repainted light grey with blue upholstered seating. These motor cars had tapered ends, which were fitted with destination boards in the 1990s. With the introduction of the Millennium Trains in 2002, several early Comeng power-cars were converted to non-driving trailers, with their pantographs removed, and renumbered T4701–4723.
1973 Comeng power and trailer cars
In 1973, additional 54 Comeng power cars C3858 – 3911, and 56 Comeng trailer cars T4921 – 4962, were ordered to coincide with the opening of the
Eastern suburbs railway line
The Eastern Suburbs Railway is a commuter railway line in Sydney constructed in the 1970s. It is operated by Sydney Trains and has stations at Martin Place, Kings Cross, Edgecliff and Bondi Junction. In addition, it has dedicated platforms a ...
. These trailer cars were the first to be of stainless steel construction, and they had an extra row of seats on the top deck (and are thus distinguished by an extra single window at the centre of the car on both decks). Ten driving trailers D4011 – 4020 were built with small driver's compartments for 2-car trains. However, they never saw service as driving cars due to Union bans. Subsequently, 25 driving trailer cars D4021 – 4045 (with large guard's compartments) were also built to be paired with a driving motor car to allow 2-car sets to be operated. Ten driving trailers were diesel hauled on
South Coast suburban services, south of
Thirroul
Thirroul () is a northern seaside suburb of the city of Wollongong, Australia. Situated between Austinmer and Bulli, it is approximately 13 kilometres north of Wollongong, and 73 km south of Sydney. It lies between the Pacific Ocean ...
, prior to electrification. Ten driving trailers, renumbered D4001 – 4010, were used for two car shuttles in the initial period after the electrification of the
Richmond line. These driving trailer cars subsequently had their driving equipment removed and were converted into standard non-driving trailer cars.
[''Sydney Suburban Fleet, Part 2''. ]Railway Digest
''Railway Digest'' is a monthly magazine, published in Sydney, covering contemporary railways of Australia.
Overview
The magazine's publisher is the Australian Railway Historical Society (ARHS), NSW Division. The first issue was published in ...
, July 2002 Extended orders saw the Comeng double-deck fleet expanded to include power-cars C3912–3986 & 3741–3765, trailers T4963–4987 and driving trailers D4046–4095 by 1982. By 1976, one quarter of suburban cars were double deck. All the 1973 cars are now integrated with earlier stock and operate as L, R &
S Sets. With the introduction of the
Millennium Trains in 2002, several early Comeng power-cars were converted to non-driving trailers, with their pantographs removed, and renumbered T4701–4723.
1978 Goninan cars
![Sydney_S_set_train_IMG_2767](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Sydney_S_set_train_IMG_2767.jpg)
In the 1970s,
A Goninan & Co in
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
entered the passenger car construction market building 80 power cars C3001 – 3080 and 70 trailer cars T4101 – 4170. Unlike the
Comeng cars, the power cars had a flat front end and Pullman Standard fluting, and the upper deck passenger windows were set significantly lower than the earlier Comeng cars reducing passenger sight lines (a source of complaint from passengers).
When the
Eastern Suburbs Railway was opened in 1979, only stainless-steel
Comeng or
Goninan double deck cars were meant to operate on this line, but the painted
Tulloch double-deck trailers were also used. In 1981, a brand new four-car
Goninan set conveyed
Queen Elizabeth II from
Bankstown
Bankstown is a suburb south west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 16 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is located in the local government area of the City of Canterbury-Bankstown, hav ...
(which was declared a City by the Queen) to
Martin Place
Martin Place is a pedestrian mall in the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. Martin Place has been described as the "civic heart" of Sydney. . For this occasion the train was specially fitted out with carpets and other refinements. The set was targeted "R1" for the occasion. These cars continued to operate into 2007 as L, R and
S sets. They were the last non-air conditioned passenger trains in service under
Sydney Trains
Sydney Trains is the operator of the suburban passenger rail network serving the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The network is a hybrid urban-suburban rail system with a central underground core that covers over of track and 170 ...
.
Retirement
Two thirds of pre-1981 non-air conditioned S set rolling stock were withdrawn from service with the roll-out of 626 new
A set carriages (78 sets) from 2011 to June 2014. The final sets were scheduled to be withdrawn from service by 2015 but some sets were retained for the
South West Rail link
The South West Rail Link is a railway line serving the developing suburbs of south-western Sydney, Australia between Glenfield and Leppington. Services form part of the Sydney Trains commuter rail network. It opened on 8 February 2015.
Descr ...
since no newer rollingstock or additional A sets had been ordered. In December 2016, the NSW Government introduced 192 new
B sets. These replaced all remaining non-airconditioned S set trains by the end of June 2019.
1986 Goninan cars (C sets)
![Campsie_station_2007_(cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Campsie_station_2007_%28cropped%29.jpg)
In 1986, a new generation of advanced suburban passenger train was being considered by the
State Rail Authority
The State Rail Authority, a former statutory authority of the Government of New South Wales, operated and maintained railways in the Australian state of New South Wales from July 1980 until December 2003.
History
The ''Transport Authorities Ac ...
. There was a delay in the construction of these trains, and 56 interim stainless steel air conditioned cars, C3581–3608 and T4247–4274, were built by
Goninan, known as the 'Chopper Cars' for their chopper control. These cars trialled several features of the next generation cars, such as fixed seating, door chimes and passenger address systems. They were originally fitted with a push-button feature, to enable passengers to open the doors manually, but this feature was short-lived. They retained the flat ends of the previous
Goninan cars, but with the addition of a fibreglass moulded end piece which was originally white with orange and red stripes (the 'candy' State Rail livery). These ends were later painted grey with a lower yellow section which they retain to this day, and internally the standard grey livery and blue seat upholstery was applied.
[''Sydney Suburban Fleet, Part 3''. ]Railway Digest
''Railway Digest'' is a monthly magazine, published in Sydney, covering contemporary railways of Australia.
Overview
The magazine's publisher is the Australian Railway Historical Society (ARHS), NSW Division. The first issue was published in ...
September 2002 These cars were initially branded as a continuation of the K Sets, but were incompatible due to the camshaft controls fitted to the existing fleet. Often, the sets would 'jerk' while accelerating when coupled together. These cars were later rebranded as
C sets, to differentiate them from K Sets.
They continued to operate until the second batch of B sets started entering service from late 2020. The last train was withdrawn on 26 February 2021, after operating its last revenue run on 90-W from the city to Liverpool via Bankstown. A farewell tour took place on 6 March, organised by the Sydney Electric Train Society (SETS). The train operated up the Blue Mountains to Mount Victoria and made a trip to both Hornsby and Fairfield. Initially, no sets were to be preserved due to the small fleet, however, SETS will preserve one 4-car set as of July 2021. This set has been confirmed to be formed of cars C3584, T4266 (both from set C5), T4274 and C3608 (both from set C9). C3608 and T4274 are significant for being the final stainless steel power and trailer cars respectively built for the Sydney network.
Current suburban passenger rolling stock
K sets
In 1981,
Goninan built the first air-conditioned cars for the
Sydney suburban network. Until then,
Sydney had lagged somewhat behind other cities that had commenced the introduction of air-conditioned stock. In order to fit the air-conditioning equipment into the motor cars, the pantographs were moved to the trailers, effectively meaning that a motor car must remain semi-permanently coupled to a trailer car. Four driving trailer cars D4096–4099 were also ordered, allowing 2-car sets to be operated with power cars C3501–3504. The first 8-car set (R1) was delivered with air-conditioning, followed by 90 forced ventilation cars C3505–3549 & T4171–4215, during the delivery process for this order, C3550 and T4216 were delivered, fully fitted with air-conditioning.
Following this, the next order, numbered from C3551 and T4217, were also fitted with forced-air ventilation, and were the first to be fitted with air-conditioning. The first 100 cars had their upper deck windows at the unpopular lower height of the earlier
Goninan cars, the final 60 were modified and these final 60 were distinguished by their front end being painted into the 'candy' white, orange and red State Rail livery of the time. The final batch (C3551-3580 & T4217-4246) also featured bright yellow internal walls. The forced ventilation cars were later retrofitted with air-conditioning, and the Beclawat sliding windows replaced by fixed panes in the late 1990s. Also at this time, the standard light grey internal livery was adopted, and the seats were replaced with blue upholstery.
160 of these cars were delivered until 1985, and continue to operate in 2011 as
K sets.
T sets (Tangaras)
In 1988, the
T sets were introduced as "third generation" rolling stock, also known as the
Tangara trains – an aboriginal word meaning "to go". This train marked a radical departure from the previous double deck car design both in appearance and technically. The
T sets were the last publicly funded electric rolling stock built for
CityRail
CityRail was a passenger railway brand operated by the State Rail Authority from 1989 to 2003 and by RailCorp from 2003 to 2013 with services in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities in New South Wales, Australi ...
– all future electric trains were built and operated under public–private partnership agreements. A total of 450
T set cars were introduced between 1988 and 1994, allowing the withdrawal of the remaining
Standard suburban carriages and
Tulloch suburban carriages by 1992.
Eighty G set cars featuring toilets, high-backed reversible seating and passenger door opening controls were built between 1994 and 1996. These generally operated on outer-suburban runs, typically to
Wollongong
Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wa ...
,
Springwood and
Gosford
Gosford is the city and administrative centre of the Central Coast Council local government area in the heart of the Central Coast region, about north of Sydney and about south of Newcastle. The city centre is situated at the northern extr ...
, though they also sometimes operated in suburban service. These outer-suburban sets allowed the retirement of the last remaining single-deck
U sets in 1996. One set, G7, was experimentally fitted with dual-voltage A/C traction. This set was extensively damaged in the
Waterfall rail accident in January 2003 and scrapped after completion of the coronial inquiry into the accident.
In 2010, a refurbishment program began for all
Tangaras, which were by then nearly 20 years old and showing signs of wear and tear. This work involved reupholstered seats, new flooring and handrails, relocated end saloon partitions and a complete internal repaint. Inter-car doors and handrails are repainted yellow, and the interiors share common fittings with the
Millennium
A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...
and
OSCAR
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms.
* Oscar (Irish mythology) ...
cars. The former outer-suburban G sets have been retargeted as
T sets from T101 onwards and the cars recoded from OD, ON and ONL to the suburban D & N codings, retaining the same 58xx and 68xx number series. The former ONL cars have had their toilet and water cooler removed and replaced with longitudinal seating, but without the luggage racks found elsewhere in these cars.
M sets (Millenniums)
From 2002, 140 "fourth generation" carriages were introduced, known as
Millennium trains or M sets. These trains allowed the withdrawal of the
Tulloch double deck trailer carriages. These were the first passenger trains in NSW to introduce automatic passenger information displays and announcements. The design of the
M sets formed the basis for the design of
H sets and
A sets. These trains are maintained by
Downer Rail
Downer Rail is a business unit within the Downer Group. As well as manufacturing and maintaining railway rolling stock it holds maintenance contracts to maintain rail infrastructure. The head office is located in North Ryde.
History
The E ...
at the
Auburn Maintenance Centre.
While the
Millennium trains are suitable for division into four-car sets, they are normally kept coupled as eight-cars sets at all times.
A & B sets (Waratahs)
The
A sets (also known as the Waratah trains) are a double-decker, air-conditioned train based on the
Millennium train, the order being for 78 sets of eight cars per train. The body shells were constructed in China and completed at
Newcastle, New South Wales
Newcastle ( ; Awabakal: ) is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas, and is the hub of the Greater Newcastle area ...
by a joint venture between the
NSW Government
The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...
,
Downer Rail
Downer Rail is a business unit within the Downer Group. As well as manufacturing and maintaining railway rolling stock it holds maintenance contracts to maintain rail infrastructure. The head office is located in North Ryde.
History
The E ...
, and other companies under a public–private partnership, with delivery between 2011 and 2014 to replace the now withdrawn 6–8 car R &
S Set trains. The first set went into regular service on 1 July 2011 on the
Macarthur–East Hills–Airport line with the last set delivered by mid-2014.
The New South Wales Government announced on 1 December 2016 that 24 new suburban trains had been ordered. Known as the Sydney Growth Trains during development, the trains are officially classified as B sets and are a lightly updated version of the similar A sets.
The $1.7 billion contract was awarded to Downer EDI. CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles manufactured the bodies of the trains before delivering them to Downer EDI, to undergo final assembly. More than 90 percent of the design is shared with the original A sets. The first B set was unveiled in Auburn in March 2018. After undergoing months of testing, Set B2 was the first to enter revenue service on 7 September 2018. The B sets replaced the remaining S sets by the end of June 2019.
In February 2019, a further 17 B sets were ordered.
Sydney's stretched rail network in store for $900m in new trains
''Sydney Morning Herald'' 6 February 2019.
Maintenance Depots
Sydney Trains' electric trains are based at maintenance depots. The colour of target plate at the front of each train shows the depot the train was originally based at. Over the years, many trains have been transferred between depots without changing their target plate colour, so the colours no longer have much meaning.
Mortdale Maintenance Depot (Red)
The following trains are maintained at Mortdale Maintenance Depot
The Mortdale maintenance depot is a Sydney Trains train depot in the southern Sydney suburb of Mortdale.
Description
The depot features nine roads under the main shed (numbered 1-3 and 5–10), two elevated outdoor roads (numbered 11 and 12), ...
:
* T sets on Sector 1 (T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line
The Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line (numbered T4, coloured azure blue) is a commuter railway line in the eastern and southern suburbs of Sydney and is a part of the Sydney Trains network. The line was constructed in the 1880s to Wollongong to ...
and South Coast Line
The South Coast Line is an intercity rail service operated by NSW TrainLink that services the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The service runs from , and runs the entire length of the eponymous South Coast railway line to . T ...
local services)
* H sets on South Coast Line services
The out stabling and depot points for Sector 1 include , and .
Flemington Maintenance Depot (Blue)
The following trains are maintained at Flemington Maintenance Depot
The Flemington Maintenance Depot is the largest Sydney Trains depot, located in the western Sydney suburb of Lidcombe, but named after Flemington further east.
The depot opened in 1927 and was one of four electric train depots built under the ...
:
* K sets on Sector 2 (T2 Inner West & Leppington, T3 Bankstown
Bankstown is a suburb south west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 16 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is located in the local government area of the City of Canterbury-Bankstown, hav ...
and T8 Airport & South lines)
* V sets (Blue Mountains Line
The Blue Mountains Line (BMT) is an inter urban commuter rail service operated by NSW TrainLink serving the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, Australia. The line travels west from Sydney to the major town of Katoomba and on to Mount Vi ...
and Central Coast & Newcastle Line
The Central Coast & Newcastle Line is a NSW TrainLink passenger train service that runs along the Main North railway line in New South Wales, connecting the state's two largest cities, Sydney and Newcastle. The service runs from through to o ...
services)
The out stabling and depot points for Sector 2 include Macdonaldtown, , and .
Hornsby Maintenance Depot (Black)
The following trains are maintained at Hornsby Maintenance Depot
Hornsby Maintenance Depot is a train depot in the northern Sydney suburb of Asquith, New South Wales, Australia, that primarily services the Sydney Trains fleet. It is located to the north of Hornsby station, a major interchange on the Sydney Tr ...
:
* T sets on Sector 3 (T9 Northern and T1 North Shore & Western lines) and special event services on the T7 Olympic Park line
* H sets on Central Coast & Newcastle Line services
The out stabling and depot points for Sector 3 include , , , and .
Eveleigh Maintenance Depot (Green)
No trains are currently being maintained at Eveleigh, however the NSW TrainLink D set
The NSW TrainLink D sets, also referred to as the ''Mariyung'' trains, are a class of electric multiple units being built to replace NSW TrainLink's Intercity electric multiple unit fleet, slated to replace the entire V set fleet and allow ...
s are temporarily based here while they undergo acceptance testing.
Auburn Maintain
UGL Unipart Rail Services carry out maintenance to the various types of sets they maintain at the depot to which the train concerned is allocated but major work may be done at Auburn Maintain.
Auburn Maintenance Centre (stickers only)
The following trains are maintained at Auburn Maintenance Centre by Downer Rail
Downer Rail is a business unit within the Downer Group. As well as manufacturing and maintaining railway rolling stock it holds maintenance contracts to maintain rail infrastructure. The head office is located in North Ryde.
History
The E ...
:
* A sets on Sectors 2 and 3 (all Sydney Trains suburban lines except T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line
The Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line (numbered T4, coloured azure blue) is a commuter railway line in the eastern and southern suburbs of Sydney and is a part of the Sydney Trains network. The line was constructed in the 1880s to Wollongong to ...
)
* B sets on Sectors 2 and 3 (all Sydney Trains suburban lines except T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line
The Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line (numbered T4, coloured azure blue) is a commuter railway line in the eastern and southern suburbs of Sydney and is a part of the Sydney Trains network. The line was constructed in the 1880s to Wollongong to ...
)
* M sets on Sector 2 (T2 Inner West & Leppington, T3 Bankstown
Bankstown is a suburb south west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 16 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is located in the local government area of the City of Canterbury-Bankstown, hav ...
, T5 Cumberland Line
The Cumberland Line (numbered T5, coloured magenta) is a commuter rail line operated by Sydney Trains in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It connects Schofields and Leppington stations in the western suburbs. Limited services extend from S ...
, T7 Olympic Park line and T8 Airport & South lines)
See also
*Rail rolling stock in New South Wales
The railways of New South Wales, Australia, use a large variety of passenger and freight rolling stock. The first railway in Sydney was opened in 1855 between Sydney and Granville, now a suburb of Sydney but then a major agricultural centre. The ...
* Auburn Maintenance Centre
*Hornsby Maintenance Depot
Hornsby Maintenance Depot is a train depot in the northern Sydney suburb of Asquith, New South Wales, Australia, that primarily services the Sydney Trains fleet. It is located to the north of Hornsby station, a major interchange on the Sydney Tr ...
*Flemington Maintenance Depot
The Flemington Maintenance Depot is the largest Sydney Trains depot, located in the western Sydney suburb of Lidcombe, but named after Flemington further east.
The depot opened in 1927 and was one of four electric train depots built under the ...
*Mortdale Maintenance Depot
The Mortdale maintenance depot is a Sydney Trains train depot in the southern Sydney suburb of Mortdale.
Description
The depot features nine roads under the main shed (numbered 1-3 and 5–10), two elevated outdoor roads (numbered 11 and 12), ...
Notes
References
External links
Sydney Trains's Fleet on Transport for NSW website
{{NSWLocos
Sydney Trains