Behind schedule and over budget, NSW intercity trains a step closer to taking passengers

The state’s new intercity trains, which have sat unused for more than four years, are one step closer to being used for passenger service after being granted safety approval by the independent regulator.

The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) on Monday approved the $4.03 billion Korean-built fleet – at the centre of a years-long dispute between successive state governments and the Rail, Tram and Bus Union over on-board safety issues – for use on the Newcastle and Central Coast lines.

The independent regulator has approved Sydney’s much-delayed Mariyung intercity fleet for passengers, after testing of modifications agreed upon by the state government and the RTBU.

But with approval yet to be granted for the trains to operate on the South Coast and Blue Mountains lines, Transport Minister Jo Haylen is yet to announce when the trains will begin service.

“The government welcomes the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator’s approval,” she said. “We look forward to bringing the new intercity fleet into service and will have more to say soon.”

The existing intercity fleet was affected by industrial action this month as a pay dispute between rail workers and the government continued. The government had warned of a Sydney-wide shutdown but has entered two weeks of intense negotiations with unions in a bid to reach a deal.

The regulator’s approval comes months after Transport for NSW missed a secret target date for the commencement of operations, and more than four years after the first trains were delivered from Korea.

One of the new intercity trains at Kangy Angy on the Central Coast.Credit: Tom Rabe

They have sat in sheds on the Central Coast ever since, amid a protracted dispute between the union and government over train staff numbers and the operation of CCTV and train doors.

The union called for modifications to allow guards to monitor passengers getting on and off at stations. An agreement, including changes to cameras, screens and emergency doors, was reached in November 2022.

The changes meant two staff members would be required to be on the intercity vehicles: a train driver plus a train guard, who would monitor train doors and CCTV onboard. The crew door can now also be opened while the train is moving.

During testing last year, the crew doors on one of the trains flew open suddenly as it was travelling through the Blue Mountains, and internal documents obtained by the Herald revealed repeated problems with the brakes.

Modifications to the trains already in Australia have been made, while vehicles yet to arrive will be changed in Korea.

The regulator said accreditation for the Blue Mountains and South Coast is subject to the completion of further infrastructure work on those lines.

“ONRSR has [granted approval] after completing the assessment of the safety assurance in relation to the rolling stock, and the evidence supporting the operational safety case,” a spokesperson for the regulator said.

They said a start date for services was “a matter for the NSW government via its relevant agencies”.

The double-decker trains feature wider two-by-two seating with tables and charging ports, and extra space for luggage and bicycles. The name of the fleet, Mariyung, is the Darug word for emu.

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