The new NSW Regional Rail fleet will have 29 trains. A three-carriage train will service the Canberra-Sydney line. Photos: Transport for NSW.
The new Transport for NSW trains expected to replace the current popular Xplorer on the Canberra-Sydney rail line in 2028 will have 20 per cent fewer seats, highlighting the need for extra daily services to cover the shortfall.
An update on the NSW Regional Rail fleet shows that the three-carriage Short Regional Train that will take over the Canberra service will have a capacity of 118, including six for wheelchairs.
The Xplorer can carry 148 passengers, including two in wheelchairs, 30 more than the new train.
A Transport for NSW spokesperson said the new Regional Rail fleet would have slightly fewer seats when compared to the existing XPT, XPLORER and Endeavour fleet.
This would mean reduced seating capacity on some regional services, including Canberra, due in part due to the larger, more comfortable seat sizes and the additional wheelchair space within the carriages.
At present, there are three mostly fully booked services a day on the Canberra-Sydney line, so without any extra services the new trains will have less capacity and potentially carry fewer passengers.
But at a press conference at Canberra Railway Station in May announcing a $100 million spend on the line, NSW Regional Transport Minister Jenny Aitchison said the government was looking at extra services, adding that “we’re hoping to get two services”.
When asked about extra services this week, Transport for NSW said it was investigating “fleet deployment and service planning options” to address these capacity issues.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr, who has long pushed for a better rail service between the two capitals, said Canberrans wanted a rail service that was faster, more reliable and available more often.
“That has been the focus of the ACT Government’s advocacy with the NSW and Australian Governments,” he said.
Mr Barr said if services increased from three to five per day, total daily capacity would rise from approximately 438 seats to 590 seats per day, an increase of about 35 per cent.
But he said the real measure for passengers was not the number of seats on an individual train, but the total capacity available across the day, the frequency of services and the reliability of the journey.
“We will continue to advocate for more services, shorter journey times and increased capacity so that Canberra travellers see the full benefit of the significant investment being made in the Canberra-Sydney rail corridor,” Mr Barr said.
What the interior of the new trains will look like.
The Transport for NSW spokesperson said the new fleet was continuing to arrive, with 16 out of the 29 strong fleet now in Australia and more arriving soon, including nine long and seven short regional trains.
“For more than 18 months, trains of the new regional fleet have been undergoing extensive testing in Australia to ensure safety and reliability before entering passenger service,” the spokesperson said.
“This is a critical step in delivering modern, comfortable trains for regional communities.
“The comprehensive testing and commissioning program includes thousands of kilometres of testing across metropolitan and regional rail lines, assessing braking performance, ride quality, signalling, communications and onboard systems.”
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Planning was underway for the first train in passenger service to run on the Sydney-Dubbo route.
Other trains in the new fleet will be deployed progressively on different routes.
The $100 million funding package for the Canberra-Sydney rail announced in May was expected to reduce the current journey time to under four hours and set the scene for eventually achieving a three-hour trip between the two capitals.
At present, the train trip takes about four and a quarter hours.
The Albanese Government has provided $50 million for priority upgrades to rail infrastructure between Sydney and Canberra and this has been matched by $25 million from the NSW Government and $25 million from the ACT Government.
