Labor has promised to improve the ageing trains that run from Sydney to Melbourne and Brisbane if it wins the New South Wales election, as the Coalition’s delayed replacement fleet leaves passengers in carriages without phone reception for most of this decade.
The pledge follows revelations from an advisory report that the NSW government’s contract for new regional trains is set to blow out by more than $1bn, with the first of the rolling stock that was meant to enter service this January now delayed to as late as December 2025.
The Perrottet government’s protracted dispute with the Spanish manufacturer over design changes could see the last of the replacement trains enter service as late as April 2027, the Sydney Morning Herald reports, leaving passengers without key amenity upgrades for a further four years on the services, which are selling out amid a boom in travel demand.
Current XPT rolling stock entered service in NSW in the early 1980s. Passengers travelling from Sydney to Melbourne and Brisbane face trips in excess of 10 hours in ageing interiors without modern amenities such as phone charging or wifi.
Additionally, the metal structure and glazed windows of the XPT rolling stock weakens mobile phone reception within the carriages. Transport for NSW acknowledges that the phenomenon, known as the Faraday Cage, frequently leaves passengers in a mobile black spot for the duration of their trip.
NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, this week defended the Coalition’s investment in replacing ageing transport assets, but acknowledged “there’s no doubt there have been challenges” in the contract that will deliver more comfortable and accessible trains to feature wifi connectivity, charging ports for mobile devices and tray tables suitable for laptops.
However, the Perrottet government has not offered interim solutions to improve the experience of passengers over the next several years.
Labor’s regional transport spokesperson, Jenny Aitchison, said the “botched” rollout of the new regional trains had left passengers worse off, and pledged to deliver better amenities while the XPT fleet is kept in use in coming years.
“Passengers will be stuck on ageing trains for at least the next three years, which don’t have the modern amenities like phone reception that passengers need and expect.
“If Labor wins government we will have to make the best of a bad situation to make sure that the ageing XPT fleet has some of the amenities passengers have been promised”.
The minister for regional transport and roads, Sam Farraway, did not directly address questions about improving amenities – such as the tinting which blocks phone reception.
He said: “The new regional rail fleet will deliver much-needed, brand-new, modern trains to the regions … some of which are almost 40 years old. Production of the new trains is well under way and it is our expectation that the first completed set will undergo final testing later this year.”
The NSW Coalition has faced strong criticism for its choice of an off-the-shelf design to replace the XPT carriages. The new rolling stock to run from Sydney to Melbourne and Brisbane will not include sleeper carriages, with the trains that have been ordered popular mostly on shorter regional trips throughout Europe.
In addition to replacing the XPT, new rolling stock will replace Xplorer trains, which run between Sydney and destinations such as Canberra, as well as Endeavour trains which serve the Blue Mountains and the Hunter.
