Rolling stock public-private partnership

Sydney’s Waratah is the next generation of suburban passenger trains designed to provide customers with improved security, safety and access

Sydney’s Waratah is the next generation of suburban passenger trains designed to provide customers with improved security, safety and accessibility features.

The new fleet was acquired through the NSW Government's $3.6 billion (net present cost) rolling stock public-private partnership (PPP).

The PPP was an agreement with the private sector to build and maintain 626 new Waratah carriages for 30 years.

This is the largest single procurement of trains in Australian history, and is equivalent to about 50% of Sydney Trains's current suburban fleet.

Information for Sydney Trains customers

About the PPP

A rolling stock public-private partnership (PPP) was entered into with Reliance Rail in December 2006.

The Reliance Rail consortium comprises equity partners Downer EDI, AMP Capital Investors, Royal Bank of Scotland Group and International Public Partnerships (formerly Babcock and Brown Partnerships).

Reliance Rail is supported by a team of industry specialists, including engineering and service organisations such as Downer EDI Rail and Hitachi.

What did Reliance Rail deliver?

Reliance Rail delivered:

  • 626 carriages
  • a maintenance facility at Auburn
  • fleet maintenance for 30 years
  • simulators for crew training.

Benefits

The Waratah fleet delivered a number of benefits for Sydney commuters, including:

  • smart air conditioning, which automatically adjusts for the ambient temperature and number of passengers
  • increased security with additional internal and external closed circuit TV (CCTV) covering all areas of the train carriage
  • improved safety and strengthened design, including advanced fire detection technology that alerts crews
  • new carriage configuration so passengers can walk through the entire train for quicker evacuation from either end of the train in an emergency
  • additional passenger Emergency Help Points on the train with direct access to the guard, supported by CCTV cameras
  • improved disability access including additional handrails and priority seats with more wheelchair spaces (16 per eight carriage train)
  • advanced passenger information and communication system with automatic announcements and electronic screens showing where the train will stop and approaching stations
  • wider entrance areas in the train vestibule for faster boarding and alighting.

Contract summary

RailCorp Rolling Stock PPP summary of contracts (PDF, 9.34 MB)

Schedule of agreements

You will need Adobe Acrobat to access the documents on this page.

Contract Schedules