Sydney Trains A set
| Waratah | |
|---|---|
_departing_Central_Station_(2).jpg)
Waratah set A34 at Sydney Central
|
|
| Manufacturer | Reliance Rail/Downer Rail |
| Built at | Changchun Railway Vehicles, Changchun, China and Downer Rail, Cardiff |
| Constructed | 2010 to 2014 (first order) 2017 onwards (second order) |
| Entered service | 2011-2014 (first order) 2018 onwards (second order) |
| Number under construction | 24 |
| Number in service | 78 |
| Number scrapped | 1 (A2) Acid spill while in transit back to China and rebuilt as A80 |
| Formation | 8 cars |
| Fleet numbers | A1, A3-A78, A80 |
| Capacity | 896 seated including 16 wheelchair spaces |
| Operator(s) | Sydney Trains |
| Depot(s) | Auburn Maintenance Centre |
| Line(s) served | |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Stainless Steel |
| Train length | 163.1 m (535 ft 1 in) |
| Car length | 20.000 m (65 ft 7 in) |
| Width | 3.035 m (9 ft 11 in) |
| Height | 4.410 m (14 ft 6 in) |
| Maximum speed | 130 km/h (81 mph) |
| Weight | 404 t (398 long tons; 445 short tons) |
| Traction system | Two converters per motor car utilising spread spectrum modulation. Four AC motors per car (Supplier: Hitachi, Japan) |
| Acceleration | 1 m/s2 (3.3 ft/s2) |
| Deceleration | 1 m/s2 (3.3 ft/s2) |
| Train heating | Two independent cooling units per car: 38 kW (51 hp) cooling, 24 kW (32 hp) heating |
| Electric system(s) | 1,500 V DC catenary |
| Current collection method | pantograph |
| Braking system(s) | Regenerative brake with blended electro-pneumatic wheel mounted disc brakes (Supplier: Knorr-Bremse, Germany) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
The Sydney Trains A set or Waratah is a class of electric multiple unit trains operated by Sydney Trains in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The train was named Waratah by the NSW Government after the flower of the same name, which is the state's floral emblem.
The design is based on the M set and is the largest rolling stock order in Australia's history. The 626 carriages make up around half of the Sydney Trains fleet, and replaced two-thirds of the 498 S set carriages. Delivery commenced in July 2011 and was completed in June 2014. An order for 192 carriages of a very similar design was placed in December 2016.
The carriages were delivered by a joint venture between Downer Rail and Hitachi for Reliance Rail under a Public Private Partnership (PPP). As part of the PPP, Reliance Rail will also maintain the trains for a minimum of 30 years at the purpose built Auburn Maintenance Centre facility. At least 72 sets must be made available to Sydney Trains every day during the contract period.
Reliance Rail took on debts of $2.4 billion at cheap interest rates before the global financial crisis. Higher interest rates and changes in the financial sector after the GFC meant the company would have difficulty refinancing its debt, leading the Government of New South Wales into talks with Reliance Rail to resolve the financial status of the project. In February 2012 the Government agreed to bail out the project for $175 million by becoming the sole shareholder in 2018.
The sets are formed of eight carriages – a break from the previous standard Sydney practice of four car sets, which are then coupled to form eight car trains. The configuration is: trailer driving car + motor car + motor car + trailer car + trailer car + motor car + motor car + trailer driving car. This means that guards operate from the rear of the train rather than the centre and that commuters are able to walk through the entire train in an emergency. Nightshine Australia was selected to produce luminescent arrow signs line, which are affixed on the base of outer seats on the lower and upper decks to direct passengers the most appropriate route of exit. The trains include external CCTV cameras to assist guards.
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Wikipedia