This was published 6 months ago
Older Sydney trains to be kept in service for longer
The NSW government’s promise to build a new fleet of trains locally will force the state’s rail operator to squeeze about an extra five years of service out of its ageing Tangara passenger trains.
Under Sydney Trains’ latest plans, it will take until the early 2030s before the double-deck trains built locally to replace the Tangara fleet enter service on suburban rail lines.
It means the Tangara trains – recognisable to commuters for their fixed seats and name emblazoned on their carriages – will be well over four decades old by the time they are retired from service.
The Tangara trains are recognisable to commuters for their fixed seats.Credit: Louise Kennerley
Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland said the government decision not to extend contracts of overseas-built trains meant it would take longer to work with industry to get designs right and build the replacement fleet locally.
“We will be doing extra work to the Tangaras to make sure they can run reliably up through until the launch of the future fleet,” he said.
“The safety of the Tangara train isn’t an issue. It’s about making sure we manage the reliability of those trains.”
Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland last Friday.Credit: Kate Geraghty
The double-decker Tangara fleet, which began carrying passengers in the 1980s, has had its service life extended by a decade and had been due to be retired by 2027.
Sydney Trains intends to start a procurement process for the replacement trains within the next 18 months so the fleet can be introduced early next decade.
Labor vowed in the lead-up to the March election to build the next set of trains to replace the Tangara fleet in NSW and create at least 1000 long-term jobs. Its election commitment is to begin the procurement process to replace the Tangaras in its first four years in power.
Transport for NSW advised the parliamentary budget office this year that reaching a 50 per cent local manufacturing target for new trains was possible “but will lead to higher costs”.
Longland said at least 50 per cent of the trains would be built locally, but detail on their cost was not yet available because Sydney Trains was working through a development phase.
Funding was allocated in the budget for work on the design of the new trains and industry that could support the replacement program for the Tangaras and other fleet types such as the Millennium and Oscar trains.
The replacement of the 55 Tangaras, which each comprise eight carriages, is part of a project dubbed the “future fleet program”.
Installation in the Tangara trains of a safety protection system, which is designed to stop them exceeding speed limits, is running years late. It is due to be completed next year.
A spokesman for Transport Minister Jo Haylen said the government’s commitment to start the procurement of the fleet within the government’s first term was on track.
“The former Liberal government had no fleet replacement strategy. That’s why the Minns Labor government has begun its plan to build the Tangara replacement fleet by beginning a business case to start the procurement process,” he said.
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.