Retirement and Refurbishment
New X'Trapolis and Siemens train have been progressively introduced since 2002 to replace the ageing Hitachi fleet, which has been largely withdrawn from service. The X'Trapolis and Siemens trains have features such as push button operated doors and air conditioning, the lack of the latter feature making the Hitachis unpopular with Melbourne commuters.
The final six 6-carriage trains were to be withdrawn after the 2006 Commonwealth Games, but instead received a minor refurbishment and are being retained until a date that is yet to be confirmed, due to a high increase in patronage. Withdrawn carriages have either been scrapped, sold to private buyers across Australia, stored, or acquired by railway museums and preservation groups.
A report in February 2007 (by which time 31 trains in the Siemens fleet were out of service due to safety concerns) said the Victorian Government was negotiating to lease one 6-carriage set from Elecrail, a rail preservation group and repurchase another 3 carriages from a private seller to supplement the fleet. An additional three 3-car Hitachi trains were purchased back from Australian businessman Mr Horne, by the Victorian government in April 2007 to provide spare parts for the fleet. The Elecrail set re-entered service in December 2007.
Cab air conditioning has since been rolled out to the remaining fleet. In late 2007, Hitachi set #37M-#1979T-#36M - #110M-#1910T-#42M was modified to meet driver union requirements and also re-stickered into Connex livery. All remaining sets have since received the same treatment, as well as a refurbished interior.
In September 2008 Public Transport Safety Victoria withdrew the remaining trains from service due to concerns over corrosion around the doors and floor. A series of tests will be carried out before the trains are sent to the Ballarat North Workshops for repair work. It was decided to proceed with the repairs as the trains are required under a new timetable introduced in November 2008. The repair work is expected to cost $2 million.
Read more about this topic: Hitachi (Australian Train)
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