EDI defends Millennium train

<p>The manufacturer of Sydney’s troubled Millennium train has hit back at the New South Wales government for taking a stance "based on public threats" rather than cooperative effort.</p> <p>Downer EDI managing director Stephen Gillies said his company stands by the Millennium train and is working its principal supplier Alstom and State Rail to resolve ongoing difficulties with its introduction.</p> <p>Mr Gillies was responding to comments from NSW transport services minister Michael Costa on the Millennium train and a decision to defer funding for the third tranche of carriages.</p> <p>"We are working intensely to get the reliability performance up to enable the government to bring forward its decision on the third tranche so that workers’ jobs are not lost at our manufacturing plants at Cardiff and Bathurst," Mr Gillies said.</p> <p>It is important for there to be a "concerted cooperative effort on the part of all parties to resolve issues" and get the Millennium train in full service as soon as possible, he said.</p> <p>The train did not have any "endemic problems with componentry", EDI said.</p> <p>Intermittent faults and events appeared to be linked to the train operating system, including the data cabling network, the company said. </p> <br />