First new railcar on Transperth network

The first of Perth’s newest railcars was put to use by Transperth passengers this morning, boosting capacity on the Joondalup and Mandurah train lines.

Transport Minister Troy Buswell said the three-car set went into service about 6.30am this morning.

“Today marks a real turning point for public transport users in Perth,” Mr Buswell said.

“This Government has made a significant $243million investment for 66 new railcars to increase the size of the fleet by 28 per cent to meet growing demand on the network.  The railcars started arriving in August and will continue to arrive regularly over the next three years.

“What you will see from now on is a new railcar set on the network every two or three months, which is a huge boost for public transport users in Perth.”

The Minister said each of the B-series railcars could carry about 600 passengers and would gradually replace the existing A-series (400 capacity) railcars on the Mandurah-Joondalup lines.

“There has been a move toward public transport by the people of Perth.  The arrival of these new railcars will very quickly start to address issues of crowding on our trains,” he said.

The three-car set that started on the network today was constructed in Maryborough in Queensland and brought to Western Australia for its final fit-out. 

The second three-car set has already arrived in Perth and is undergoing final fit out.  It will be on the Transperth network in the new year.

As more railcars arrive, some of the remaining A-series trains on the Joondalup-Mandurah lines will be moved on to the Midland, Fremantle and Armadale lines, boosting capacity across the entire network.

       Fact File

• New railcar marks the start of a pivotal three-year period where 22 three-car sets will be added to the Transperth network