VLocity train order off track as fleet built too heavy

The Andrews Government’s prized fleet of new regional trains have been built too heavy for the tracks they run on due to a technical blunder.

A technical blunder has meant the Andrews Government’s prized fleet of new regional trains have been built too heavy for the tracks they run on.

In the 2017-18 state Budget, the government allocated more than $300 million towards a run of 39 VLocity ­carriages, but staff receiving the order from Bombardier discovered the first services to arrive were overweight.

The front of the train was made heavier for crash protection, included for the hundreds of kangaroos passenger services hit every year, and extra seats were also included.

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But engineers weight-testing the trains have been forced to try stripping back parts of the carriages in a bid to bring them within strict guidelines for regional tracks.

The government’s head of rolling stock development at the time the trains were ­delivered has since left the ­department as part of a major overhaul of the transport ­bureaucracy. She began a new job this month as managing ­director of Bombardier Transportation Australia — the company that builds the VLocity carriages. It is expected ­Bombardier will be responsible for fixing the carriages, which are not currently used on the network, and covering any ­additional costs.

A technical blunder has meant the Andrews Government’s prized fleet of new regional trains have been built too heavy for the tracks they run on.

A government spokeswoman said the new trains had better passenger features and safety improvements.

“The Department of Transport, V/Line and Bombardier Transportation are working closely to complete final testing of the new trains before they start taking passengers.”

Opposition transport spokesman David Davis said it was up to the Andrews Government to check the basic details on projects.

“They can’t be trusted to run a public transport system and they can’t even be trusted to get their train orders right,” he said. “Daniel Andrews needs to come clean and say how much has been squandered in this process.

“V/Line under is a shambles, with performance in free fall.”

This month the company also permanently lowered VLocity speeds from 160kmh to 115kmh between Sunshine and Deer Park Junction because of congestion on the line.

kieran.rooney.com.au