Reliance Rail is contracted to deliver 78, eight-car, double-deck trains (626 carriages including two spares) for use on the CityRail network, and to provide maintenance on the Waratah fleet for 30 years at a purpose-built facility at Auburn in Sydney’s west.
Halcrow provides technical advice to RailCorp as part of its design review process for the Waratah train, maintenance facility and the crew training simulators. This process includes assessing compliance of design submissions against contract requirements, liaising with the contractor, and advising RailCorp on the suitability of submitted designs. Halcrow has a team of eight staff resident in Changchun, China, to ensure the end product is produced to design requirements, and to conduct tests to verify compliance.
Halcrow will also advise RailCorp during testing and commissioning, leading up to the issue of a certificate of practical completion for the new trains, maintenance facility and crew training simulators.
“This project is on a scale never seen before in Australia and the acquisition will be equal to about half of CityRail’s existing suburban fleet in a single order,” RailCorp Chief Executive Officer Rob Mason said. “Safety, reliability and value for money are key priorities for RailCorp in this project and we are confident that Sydney’s next generation, air-conditioned Waratah trains will improve the travel experience of Sydney commuters.”
In October 2010 Railcorp confirmed an extension to their agreement with Halcrow for the provision of technical advice to last through until the completion of the project in 2013, when all 78 trains will be running on Sydney’s network.