The Waratah Trains
The Waratah fleet comprises 78 double-deck 8 car trains with the following key features
Improved usability and access
Improved accessibility including additional handrails and priority seats with more wheelchair spaces (16 per eight carriage train)
High contrast handrails, step lights with door opening and closing visual and audible warnings.
Portable wheelchair ramps in each cab.
Improved comfort and information
Smart air conditioning, which automatically adjusts for the ambient temperature and number of passengers
More comfortable and vandalism-resistant seating using a durable wool moquette fabric.
Advanced passenger information and communication system with automatic announcements and electronic screens showing where the train will stop and approaching stations
Improved lighting using energy saving LED lighting - a world first for passenger trains.
Improved safety and security
Both external and internal CCTV cameras covering all areas of the carriage.
Additional passenger Emergency Help Points on the train with direct communication access to the guard, supported by internal closed-circuit TV monitoring all areas of the train carriage.
Enhanced carriage design, with advanced fire detection technology that alerts crew, and a new walk-through carriage configuration to enable passengers to remove themselves from incidents, or evacuate in an emergency.
Wider entrance areas in the train vestibule area to promote faster boarding and alighting resulting in less time waiting at stations.
Maintenance Facility
The Auburn Maintenance Centre (AMC) is a state of the art facility, purpose-built in 2010. The facility consists of a 14,000m2 maintenance shed with 7 maintenance roads, plus additional shunting and storage roads. It also includes an automatic train wash plant, an underfloor wheel lathe and wheel condition monitoring equipment.
An integral hub for Sydney Trains, the AMC is strategically located in Auburn on the Sydney rail network and is home to the Waratah, SGT and Millennium trains, which comprise nearly half of Sydney’s passenger fleet.
The AMC operates 24/7, providing onsite maintenance, technical and operational support. The facility employs approximately 150 staff, including mobile technicians who provide support to the fleet in service.
Simulators
In order to support the introduction of the new fleet and to provide ongoing training capability for Sydney Trains, four crew training simulators were delivered as part of the Rolling Stock PPP. A full motion based driver cab and a fixed guard cab were installed into Sydney Trains’ training facility and a mobile trailer was fitted out with a fixed driver and guard simulator. The simulators are now owned by Sydney Trains but maintained under the Through Life Support contract.