Monday, 18 May 2015 / Categories: PTA News, Transperth, Transport Projects Railcar order reaches halfway mark The newest train on Perth’s rail network starts service tomorrow, marking the halfway point in the State Government’s purchase of 22 B-series trains at a cost of $244 million. The three-car train, which carries up to 600 passengers, is the 11th new train in the B-series. Transport Minister Dean Nalder said once all 22 trains arrived, the Transperth railcar fleet would number 300, representing a 28 per cent increase in the fleet since 2011. “Our focus is on providing people with a choice of travel so they can get to work, home and other destinations,” Mr Nalder said. “The State Government is investing heavily in roads, on cycle paths and in public transport as part of a co-ordinated approach to transport planning.” Treasurer Mike Nahan said the commissioning of the new train coincided with this week’s State Budget announcement of $5 million in 2015-16 towards the planning and procurement of the next C-series of railcars, worth a total of $1.2 billion. This will allow the Public Transport Authority to issue a closed tender to several proponents who responded to the request for information last year. The successful proponents will be asked to deliver 50 six-railcar trains, or 300 railcars, over 10 years, starting in 2019. They will be constructed in a fixed six-railcar configuration, which increases passenger carrying capacity. The number of doors per railcar will be doubled to speed up passenger boarding and alighting, which will reduce waiting times at stations, making the whole network more efficient. “We are also looking at ways to integrate technologies such as USB ports and wireless internet on services,” Mr Nalder said. Fact File The B-series trains travel on the busy Joondalup and Mandurah lines where they reach higher speeds and carry more passengers State Budget allocated $104.4 million for 21 new railcars and 105 buses in 2015-16 The contract to design, build, deliver and maintain the C-series railcars is expected to be awarded in late 2016 Between 2008-09 and 2018-19, $15.1 billion will be spent on roads and public transport, including $2 billion for Forrestfield Airport Link Previous Article Our State Budget 2015-16 - Investing in infrastructure to grow the State: Capital works program drives jobs Next Article Extra funding for bus stops and shelters Print