Melbourne Is Getting a Fleet of New High-Capacity Trains Next Year
They're 20-percent bigger than any of the trains currently on the tracks.
Melbourne train-catchers, we have some good news: commuting is about to get a bit easier thanks to a fleet of shiny new trains. Set to hit the tracks in mid-2019, the 65 high-capacity metro trains will boast the first new Victorian train design in a decade. And the first test train will be rolling out before the end of the year.
The new trains are big. They're 160-metre long with seven carriages, more space for mobility devices in each carriage, and have the ability to carry 1100 passengers — 20-percent more than any other train on the network. Maybe, come next year, you'll actually be able to sit down on your morning and afternoon commute.
The addition of the new trains to the force will also mean more trains on the tracks and — hopefully — less time waiting at the station.
Earlier this week, Melbourne Premier Daniel Andrews posted a video to his Facebook, which provided a look inside one of the new trains. Mr Andrews also mentions in the post that the trains are being built in Melbourne's west, which is providing jobs for local workers.
The first high-capacity metro trains will be rolled out on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines, Melbourne's busiest rail corridor, in 2019, with other lines to follow.
It's been a big six months for train news in Melbourne, with the new HCMT fleet being only the latest announcement. Late last year, Mr Andrews announced that Melbourne would be finally getting an airport rail link, in February this year an elevated train line opened over Melbourne's southeast, and in April there was talk of a new high-speed train from the CBD to Geelong. Here's hoping Melbourne's train travel only continues to improve.
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