Spike in ‘wheel wear’ forces old passenger trains to be pulled from service

2 weeks ago 6

Spike successful ‘wheel wear’ forces aged rider trains to beryllium pulled from service

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A surge successful wheels wearing retired connected NSW’s decades-old rider trains has forced immoderate to beryllium pulled from cognition and respective regular services cancelled connected intercity routes from Sydney implicit the past six weeks due to the fact that determination person not been capable to run a afloat timetable.

The problems besetting the V-set trains, which were built successful the 1970s, exemplify the unit connected the state’s ageing obstruction fleet, and the ripple effect of a five-year hold to the instauration into work of caller Korean-built intercity trains which were purchased to regenerate them.

A V-set bid travels done the Blue Mountains successful winter.

The Herald has seen documents showing that aggregate V-set trains person been pulled from work and sent to yards astatine Flemington for “corrective maintenance”.

Four services a time person been cancelled crossed the Blue Mountains, and Central Coast and Newcastle lines implicit the past six weeks.

A Sydney Trains appraisal recovered that the fig of V-set trains requiring indispensable attraction implicit the past 2 months would transcend the fig for the relation to tally a afloat timetable connected the lines.

The V-set trains are identifiable to passengers by “Intercity” appearing connected the driver’s compartment against an orangish background.

The status of the V-set rider trains has been delayed by the precocious accomplishment of Korean-built intercity trains.

Sydney Trains said successful a connection that impermanent timetable changes were made to a tiny fig of services connected the 2 intercity lines owed to indispensable fleet maintenance. Services were initially adjusted connected March 19, and each services were owed to beryllium reinstated by the weekend.

The relation said 32 instrumentality sets and 8 bogies had been changed implicit the past six weeks, and the instrumentality lathe astatine the Flemington attraction centre was moving 24/7 to guarantee the V-set wheels remained successful the close specification.

“There are presently 3 V-sets being held successful attraction owed to instrumentality wear,” it said. “Sydney Trains does not expect immoderate much V-set trains having to beryllium removed from service.”

Sydney Trains said it averaged 4 eight-car V-set trains retired of work for instrumentality attraction implicit the past six weeks, successful summation to “rolling preventative and corrective maintenance” connected the remainder of the 25-strong fleet.

A final report from a reappraisal commissioned by the Minns authorities into repeated failures crossed Sydney’s obstruction web recovered the reliability of the state’s rider trains remained beneath targets, partially owed to the property of the fleet.

The five-year hold to the rollout of the caller $3.2 cardinal intercity fleet has delayed the status of the V-set trains, and the modulation of Oscar trains to Sydney’s suburban lines.