Transport Minister Troy Buswell was at the Midland Railway Workshops on Monday to take delivery of the first of 22 three-car sets on order for Transperth, designed to boost the capacity of the network.
Mr Buswell said each B-Series 80 train could carry 600 passengers, compared to about 400 people in a two-car configuration.
The new carriages initially would be used on the Clarkson and Mandurah lines, where demand is greatest. Two-car carriages, currently in operation on the Clarkson and Mandurah lines, would be reallocated to the Midland, Fremantle and Armadale lines, he said.
The three-car trains, built by EDI Rail-Bombardier in Queensland, are being commissioned at the Midland workshops. Their bogies are being changed from standard gauge ” fitted for their trip across Australia ” to WA’s narrow gauge. They will undergo safety testing before travelling to Transperth’s railcar depot at Nowergup, to be fitted with seats and signage.
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READ NOWMr Buswell said the arrival of the new three-car trains marked the start of a pivotal three-year period for the Perth transport system, with the remaining 21 new three-car trains coming online at Transperth every few months.
‘Over the next three years, these trains will flow onto the network, boosting capacity and gradually reducing over-crowding for passengers,’ Mr Buswell said.
Total cost of the new railcars is $243 million.