No more purple seats: Mountains commuters finally get their new trains
'It's a network that's not designed for 10-carriage platforms at every station, but the technology is onboard the train. The technology around selective door opening allows us to have a safe operation at all stations regardless of the length of platform,' Longland said.
Blacktown, Linden, Leura and Hazelbrook are among stations on the Blue Mountains line where platforms are not long enough for 10-carriage trains. On the South Coast line, Hurstville, Sutherland, Helensburgh, Otford, Stanwell Park, Coalcliff, Scarborough and Bulli are among those which cannot fit an entire 10-carriage train, government data shows.
For years, passengers travelling on eight-car V-sets and Oscar trains have had to move carriages to get off at short platforms.
Like those on the Sydney-Newcastle line, Blue Mountains and South Coast rail commuters will have to forgo reversible seats on the old V-set trains for fixed seating on the new Mariyungs, meaning many will face backwards on their journeys.
However, the new double-decker Mariyung trains have more legroom, high seat backs, tray tables for laptops, charging ports for mobile devices and extra space for baggage and bikes. Mariyung is the Darug word for emu.
Sydney Trains plans to transfer two V-set trains in their original 'blue goose' livery to Transport Heritage NSW when the last is retired from service next year. '[There is] a lot of nostalgia. The Blue Mountains has been exclusively V-sets for a long time,' Longland said.
Most of the V-set trains will be turned into scrap metal once parts that can be reused are removed.
Under original plans, the Mariyung trains were to start services on lines from Sydney to the Central Coast and Newcastle in late 2019, and to the Blue Mountains and Lithgow the following year.
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The new fleet became the centre of a long-running dispute between the previous Coalition state government and the Rail, Tram and Bus Union several years ago.
The stand-off was settled in late 2022 when the then-government agreed to union demands to modify the trains to allow guards to monitor passengers getting on and off at stations. It included modifications to cameras, screens and emergency doors.
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