Latest news with #Mariyung
The Age
13-07-2025
- The Age
Blue Mountains new trains: Mariyung fleet set to take over in October
Track technology and sensors on the new trains mean that they know which station they are arriving at and how long platforms are. As a result, carriages are automatically allocated to platforms. '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. The decades-old V-set trains are arguably best known by commuters for their purple-coloured seats. Credit: Sam Mooy 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. The last of the V-set passenger trains is due to be retired in the second quarter of next year. Credit: Oscar Colman 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. Loading 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. Start the day with a summary of the day's most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
Sydney Morning Herald
13-07-2025
- Automotive
- Sydney Morning Herald
No more purple seats: Mountains commuters finally get their new trains
Track technology and sensors on the new trains mean that they know which station they are arriving at and how long platforms are. As a result, carriages are automatically allocated to platforms. '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. Loading 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.
The Advertiser
26-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Advertiser
Half a century of service ends as last v-set trains in the Hunter saluted into retirement
The last of the state's 21 v-set trains working on the Hunter line will depart Sydney's Central station at 9.20pm on Friday, bound for Newcastle. It will mark the end of the months-long phase out of the former intercity fleet with new South Korean Mariyung trains, the first of which left Newcastle in December. The train operators' union, which raised serious concerns about the safety of the trains when they arrived, and complained that their off-the-shelf design was ill-suited to the work for which they were intended, told the Herald on Thursday that, notwithstanding some technical teething issues, the new fleet was safe, if not especially comfortable for passengers. "We had no input in that train," NSW Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) branch president Craig Turner said. "Otherwise, there would have been differences." Mr Turner, who travels regularly on the Mariyung fleet, said the union still had some concerns about updates to the trains' software, which largely dealt with passenger comforts, such as cabin temperatures and device charging, but that, in the main, the trains were safe and reliable. "We insisted no train would go into service unless the RTBU and the train crew were happy," he said. "From our point of view, there is no change - everything works the same - it is just a different train." Passengers have complained, since the new trains entered service late last year, that the fixed seating position, cabin temperatures and unreliable device connectivity were a step back from the dated, but comfortable, v-set trains. But, as the last of the old intercity fleet is consigned to the scrapheap, having spent 55 years in service, Sydney Trains boss Matt Longland and the state government have described the transition as the "end of a proud chapter in our transport history, and the beginning of a new one". The first v-set trains hit the tracks in June, 1970, 11 months after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, and connected to Newcastle in 1984. The state estimates that, in half a century of service, the 21-train fleet has travelled 140 million kilometres. "They were space age for their time and it's almost unfathomable that they have made it to the moon 17 times each in equivalent kilometres during over five decades on the tracks," Transport Minister John Graham said. The former fleet has been replaced by 13 10-car Mariyung sets and six eight-car sets, Mr Turner said, while the outer suburban cars - commonly called OSCARS or H-set trains - would continue to operate between the Central Coast and North Shore line. Mr Turner said the union had a commitment from the Minns government that future train fleets, set to replace the ageing suburban Tangara electric sets introduced in the late 1980s by 2027, would be built onshore. "They will build all future fleets here and when the Tangaras are retired, hopefully, that contract will go up to Newcastle," he said. The v-sets were built in Granville by Commonwealth Engineering between 1970 and 1989, and were described as "the most luxurious commuter stock in the world" when they entered service. In a joint statement by Mr Graham, Mr Longland and Regional Transport Minister Jenny Aitchison, the state said it had committed to buying the replacement of the Tangara fleet with a 50 per cent local content target for designing, building, and maintaining the new fleet. V-sets will continue to run on the Blue Mountains line before they are replaced by Mariyungs. The South Coast line will get Mariyung trains after their introduction to the Blue Mountains. The last of the state's 21 v-set trains working on the Hunter line will depart Sydney's Central station at 9.20pm on Friday, bound for Newcastle. It will mark the end of the months-long phase out of the former intercity fleet with new South Korean Mariyung trains, the first of which left Newcastle in December. The train operators' union, which raised serious concerns about the safety of the trains when they arrived, and complained that their off-the-shelf design was ill-suited to the work for which they were intended, told the Herald on Thursday that, notwithstanding some technical teething issues, the new fleet was safe, if not especially comfortable for passengers. "We had no input in that train," NSW Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) branch president Craig Turner said. "Otherwise, there would have been differences." Mr Turner, who travels regularly on the Mariyung fleet, said the union still had some concerns about updates to the trains' software, which largely dealt with passenger comforts, such as cabin temperatures and device charging, but that, in the main, the trains were safe and reliable. "We insisted no train would go into service unless the RTBU and the train crew were happy," he said. "From our point of view, there is no change - everything works the same - it is just a different train." Passengers have complained, since the new trains entered service late last year, that the fixed seating position, cabin temperatures and unreliable device connectivity were a step back from the dated, but comfortable, v-set trains. But, as the last of the old intercity fleet is consigned to the scrapheap, having spent 55 years in service, Sydney Trains boss Matt Longland and the state government have described the transition as the "end of a proud chapter in our transport history, and the beginning of a new one". The first v-set trains hit the tracks in June, 1970, 11 months after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, and connected to Newcastle in 1984. The state estimates that, in half a century of service, the 21-train fleet has travelled 140 million kilometres. "They were space age for their time and it's almost unfathomable that they have made it to the moon 17 times each in equivalent kilometres during over five decades on the tracks," Transport Minister John Graham said. The former fleet has been replaced by 13 10-car Mariyung sets and six eight-car sets, Mr Turner said, while the outer suburban cars - commonly called OSCARS or H-set trains - would continue to operate between the Central Coast and North Shore line. Mr Turner said the union had a commitment from the Minns government that future train fleets, set to replace the ageing suburban Tangara electric sets introduced in the late 1980s by 2027, would be built onshore. "They will build all future fleets here and when the Tangaras are retired, hopefully, that contract will go up to Newcastle," he said. The v-sets were built in Granville by Commonwealth Engineering between 1970 and 1989, and were described as "the most luxurious commuter stock in the world" when they entered service. In a joint statement by Mr Graham, Mr Longland and Regional Transport Minister Jenny Aitchison, the state said it had committed to buying the replacement of the Tangara fleet with a 50 per cent local content target for designing, building, and maintaining the new fleet. V-sets will continue to run on the Blue Mountains line before they are replaced by Mariyungs. The South Coast line will get Mariyung trains after their introduction to the Blue Mountains. The last of the state's 21 v-set trains working on the Hunter line will depart Sydney's Central station at 9.20pm on Friday, bound for Newcastle. It will mark the end of the months-long phase out of the former intercity fleet with new South Korean Mariyung trains, the first of which left Newcastle in December. The train operators' union, which raised serious concerns about the safety of the trains when they arrived, and complained that their off-the-shelf design was ill-suited to the work for which they were intended, told the Herald on Thursday that, notwithstanding some technical teething issues, the new fleet was safe, if not especially comfortable for passengers. "We had no input in that train," NSW Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) branch president Craig Turner said. "Otherwise, there would have been differences." Mr Turner, who travels regularly on the Mariyung fleet, said the union still had some concerns about updates to the trains' software, which largely dealt with passenger comforts, such as cabin temperatures and device charging, but that, in the main, the trains were safe and reliable. "We insisted no train would go into service unless the RTBU and the train crew were happy," he said. "From our point of view, there is no change - everything works the same - it is just a different train." Passengers have complained, since the new trains entered service late last year, that the fixed seating position, cabin temperatures and unreliable device connectivity were a step back from the dated, but comfortable, v-set trains. But, as the last of the old intercity fleet is consigned to the scrapheap, having spent 55 years in service, Sydney Trains boss Matt Longland and the state government have described the transition as the "end of a proud chapter in our transport history, and the beginning of a new one". The first v-set trains hit the tracks in June, 1970, 11 months after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, and connected to Newcastle in 1984. The state estimates that, in half a century of service, the 21-train fleet has travelled 140 million kilometres. "They were space age for their time and it's almost unfathomable that they have made it to the moon 17 times each in equivalent kilometres during over five decades on the tracks," Transport Minister John Graham said. The former fleet has been replaced by 13 10-car Mariyung sets and six eight-car sets, Mr Turner said, while the outer suburban cars - commonly called OSCARS or H-set trains - would continue to operate between the Central Coast and North Shore line. Mr Turner said the union had a commitment from the Minns government that future train fleets, set to replace the ageing suburban Tangara electric sets introduced in the late 1980s by 2027, would be built onshore. "They will build all future fleets here and when the Tangaras are retired, hopefully, that contract will go up to Newcastle," he said. The v-sets were built in Granville by Commonwealth Engineering between 1970 and 1989, and were described as "the most luxurious commuter stock in the world" when they entered service. In a joint statement by Mr Graham, Mr Longland and Regional Transport Minister Jenny Aitchison, the state said it had committed to buying the replacement of the Tangara fleet with a 50 per cent local content target for designing, building, and maintaining the new fleet. V-sets will continue to run on the Blue Mountains line before they are replaced by Mariyungs. The South Coast line will get Mariyung trains after their introduction to the Blue Mountains. The last of the state's 21 v-set trains working on the Hunter line will depart Sydney's Central station at 9.20pm on Friday, bound for Newcastle. It will mark the end of the months-long phase out of the former intercity fleet with new South Korean Mariyung trains, the first of which left Newcastle in December. The train operators' union, which raised serious concerns about the safety of the trains when they arrived, and complained that their off-the-shelf design was ill-suited to the work for which they were intended, told the Herald on Thursday that, notwithstanding some technical teething issues, the new fleet was safe, if not especially comfortable for passengers. "We had no input in that train," NSW Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) branch president Craig Turner said. "Otherwise, there would have been differences." Mr Turner, who travels regularly on the Mariyung fleet, said the union still had some concerns about updates to the trains' software, which largely dealt with passenger comforts, such as cabin temperatures and device charging, but that, in the main, the trains were safe and reliable. "We insisted no train would go into service unless the RTBU and the train crew were happy," he said. "From our point of view, there is no change - everything works the same - it is just a different train." Passengers have complained, since the new trains entered service late last year, that the fixed seating position, cabin temperatures and unreliable device connectivity were a step back from the dated, but comfortable, v-set trains. But, as the last of the old intercity fleet is consigned to the scrapheap, having spent 55 years in service, Sydney Trains boss Matt Longland and the state government have described the transition as the "end of a proud chapter in our transport history, and the beginning of a new one". The first v-set trains hit the tracks in June, 1970, 11 months after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, and connected to Newcastle in 1984. The state estimates that, in half a century of service, the 21-train fleet has travelled 140 million kilometres. "They were space age for their time and it's almost unfathomable that they have made it to the moon 17 times each in equivalent kilometres during over five decades on the tracks," Transport Minister John Graham said. The former fleet has been replaced by 13 10-car Mariyung sets and six eight-car sets, Mr Turner said, while the outer suburban cars - commonly called OSCARS or H-set trains - would continue to operate between the Central Coast and North Shore line. Mr Turner said the union had a commitment from the Minns government that future train fleets, set to replace the ageing suburban Tangara electric sets introduced in the late 1980s by 2027, would be built onshore. "They will build all future fleets here and when the Tangaras are retired, hopefully, that contract will go up to Newcastle," he said. The v-sets were built in Granville by Commonwealth Engineering between 1970 and 1989, and were described as "the most luxurious commuter stock in the world" when they entered service. In a joint statement by Mr Graham, Mr Longland and Regional Transport Minister Jenny Aitchison, the state said it had committed to buying the replacement of the Tangara fleet with a 50 per cent local content target for designing, building, and maintaining the new fleet. V-sets will continue to run on the Blue Mountains line before they are replaced by Mariyungs. The South Coast line will get Mariyung trains after their introduction to the Blue Mountains.
The Age
26-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Age
‘Sad goodbye': End of era for workhorse of NSW railways
The last V-set passenger train service to Newcastle will pull out of Sydney's Central Station at 9.20pm on Friday, marking the end of an era that has spanned more than five decades. Known by commuters for their purple-coloured seats, the workhorses of NSW's railways have been running on the line from Sydney to the Central Coast and Newcastle since June 1970. Pushed to the limit of their working lives, the double-deck V-sets will finally be completely replaced on the line by the long-delayed new Mariyung train fleet, which has cost taxpayers more than $4 billion. Train driver Ben Heavey, 23, said it would be a 'sad goodbye' when a V-set makes the last run between Sydney and Newcastle on Friday night. 'But we'll be moving forward for our passengers with better safety and access for our disabled people,' he said. 'At the end of the day, I think people will learn to love the Mariyung.' The new intercity trains have extra legroom, high seat backs, tray tables for laptops and charging ports for mobile devices. Heavey, who has had a passion for trains since he was a kid growing up in Macquarie Fields, started as a cleaner on the railways at the age of 18 after leaving school. Within eight months he was a guard, before switching 18 months later to become a driver of V-sets and newer train types. Now also training drivers, Heavey found it more rewarding to complete a long-distance trip driving a V-set because they required greater focus. 'You feel like you have to use your brain more,' he said.
Sydney Morning Herald
26-06-2025
- Automotive
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Sad goodbye': End of era for workhorse of NSW railways
The last V-set passenger train service to Newcastle will pull out of Sydney's Central Station at 9.20pm on Friday, marking the end of an era that has spanned more than five decades. Known by commuters for their purple-coloured seats, the workhorses of NSW's railways have been running on the line from Sydney to the Central Coast and Newcastle since June 1970. Pushed to the limit of their working lives, the double-deck V-sets will finally be completely replaced on the line by the long-delayed new Mariyung train fleet, which has cost taxpayers more than $4 billion. Train driver Ben Heavey, 23, said it would be a 'sad goodbye' when a V-set makes the last run between Sydney and Newcastle on Friday night. 'But we'll be moving forward for our passengers with better safety and access for our disabled people,' he said. 'At the end of the day, I think people will learn to love the Mariyung.' The new intercity trains have extra legroom, high seat backs, tray tables for laptops and charging ports for mobile devices. Heavey, who has had a passion for trains since he was a kid growing up in Macquarie Fields, started as a cleaner on the railways at the age of 18 after leaving school. Within eight months he was a guard, before switching 18 months later to become a driver of V-sets and newer train types. Now also training drivers, Heavey found it more rewarding to complete a long-distance trip driving a V-set because they required greater focus. 'You feel like you have to use your brain more,' he said.
