Delivery

The PPP Project represents the largest single rolling stock order with the shortest delivery timeframe ordered by any Australian railway - 626 carriages in six years.

The Project is international in scale and Reliance Rail has responded with a delivery strategy that combines award-winning Australian rolling stock design, with the best global suppliers in rail car manufacturing, including Hitachi, Japan; ChangChun Railway Vehicles Co (CRC), China; and Knorr Bremse, Germany.

Rail car manufacturing in Australia relies on the inclusion of imported major sub-system components, such as the traction, braking and train operating systems, sourced from global suppliers. Reliance Rail will leverage the systems integration expertise of its Core Contractor Downer EDI Rail in the final train assembly, testing and commissioning which will take place at Cardiff in NSW.

Design

The Downer EDI Rail - Hitachi Joint Venture is responsible for the design and manufacture of Sydney’s new suburban passenger trains on behalf of Reliance Rail.

The joint venture combines Hitachi’s global reputation for train reliability and safety, and its robust financial position as one of the world’s leading services companies with the local expertise of Downer EDI Rail. Downer EDI Rail has manufactured more than 600 passenger rail vehicles for the Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne rail networks.

Downer EDI Rail, which designed the world-class Millennium Train for RailCorp, will design Sydney’s new train primarily out of its Granville head office in NSW.

Manufacture

The trains’ crew cabs will be manufactured and assembled at Downer EDI Rail’s facility in Cardiff, west of Newcastle, along with the final assembly, fit-out, and testing and commissioning of the carriages from 2009-2013. [ Read more ]

The carbodies will be partially manufactured by CRC, located in Changchun in the north-east province of Jilin in the People’s Republic of China, and sent by sea to Newcastle. [ Read more ]

Downer EDI Rail has enlisted the following suppliers to provide the major sub-systems for the new fleet:

• CRC - body shell and partial fit out
• Thales Australia - communications and surveillance
• EKE Electronics - Train Information Systems
• Sigma Coachair group - climate control
• Hitachi - traction
• Knorr Bremse - brakes and doors
• Voith Turbo - couplers
• Hubner gmbh - inter-car gangways
• Miryung / BNG - stainless steel
• Sydac - simulators

Maintenance

The new fleet will be maintained by Downer EDI Rail under a minimum 30-year contract with Reliance Rail. A new maintenance facility for the new fleet is being constructed at Auburn as part of the PPP Project. [ Read more ]