Passenger Rail, Rail Supply, Rolling stock & Rail Vehicle Design

Perth’s latest B-series order reaches halfway mark

Perth B-series train. Credit: Creative Commons / DBZ2313

The newest train on Perth’s rail network entered service on Monday, marking the halfway point in the state’s $244 million purchase of 22 B-series trains.

Consisting of three carriages and capable of holding 300 passengers, the B-series train is manufactured by Downer Rail, Mayborough.

Since 2004, around 57 B-series trains have now been delivered.

Monday’s delivery was the eleventh train on the latest order, which is for a total of 22 new trains.

Transport minister Dean Nalder said once all 22 trains had arrived, Transperth’s railcar fleet would number 300, representing a 28% increase since 2011.

“Our focus is on providing people with a choice of travel so they can get to work, home and other destinations,” Nalder explained.

“The State Government is investing heavily in roads, on cycle paths and in public transport as part of a co-ordinated approach to transport planning.”

The commissioning of the contract’s eleventh railcar coincided with the announcement in last week’s State Budget that $5 million in funding would go towards the planning and procurement of Perth’s next batch of railcars, the C-series, worth a total of $1.2 billion.

The C-series will be in a fixed six-railcar configuration, which increases passenger carrying capacity, Nalder said. The number of doors per railcar will be doubled to speed up passenger and boarder alighting, he added.

“We are also looking at ways to integrate technologies such as USB ports and wireless internet on services,” the minister concluded.

WA’s Public Transport Authrotiy will issue a closed tender to several proponents who responded to the request for information last year.

The successful proponents will be asked to deliver 50 six-railcar trains (a total of 300 cars) over 10 years, starting in 2019.

A C-series contract winner is expected to be announced in late 2016.