Sydney to spend $2.8 billion on new intercity trains

The New South Wales Government hopes to introduce a new fleet of intercity trains onto the rail network around Sydney by 2019, Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian has announced.

A $2.8 billion procurement programme will be launched this month to find a manufacturer to build 65 new trains – the equivalent of 520 carriages – to operate services from Sydney to the Central Coast, Newcastle, Blue Mountains and Illawarra.

Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian said: “These new trains will provide unprecedented levels of comfort and convenience for customers, and we will now begin industry briefings and community engagement to achieve the best outcome from the new fleet.”

The new fleet is expected to be progressively introduced between 2019 and 2024.