Rail Connect NSW recently celebrated the 10 year anniversary of the contract award for the design, manufacture, delivery and maintenance of 610 Mariyung cars for Transport for NSW.
It is nearly two years since the first train entered revenue service, with more than 450 cars now operating from Sydney to Newcastle, Lithgow and Kiama.
The RailConnect NSW consortium is made up of UGL Transport, Hyundai Rotem, and Mitsubishi Electric Australia.
UGL Transport and Mitsubishi Electric Australia have a long history together, having delivered double-decker Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) passenger cars since the S-Sets and K-Sets, almost 50 years ago.
Ian Quarrie, Chief Executive Officer of UGL Transport, explained:
“We also worked together to deliver the iconic Tangaras and OSCars at UGL Transport’s workshops in Broadmeadow. Now, with Hyundai Rotem, we have delivered the Mariyung and we are looking to the next chapter in our long-term partnership.”
RailConnect NSW is constantly looking at ways to further localise their supply chains and workforce. The consortium has employed hundreds of people across NSW’s Central Coast and Hunter over the last 10 years.
“A number of people who worked on the actual manufacture of the OSCars and Tangaras at UGL Transport’s Broadmeadow workshops have also worked on the Mariyung,” Ian said.
“Thanks to the Mariyung fleet, UGL Transport has maintained its electric passenger rail car capability that begun with the Tangaras, S-Sets and K-Sets.”
Over the last 18 months, RailConnect NSW has used UGL Transport’s expertise to overhaul the Mariyung bogies within the same workshops in Broadmeadow that the OSCars and Tangaras were built.
“UGL Transport’s ambition has been a commitment to keep rail manufacturing and maintenance expertise in the Hunter region,” Ian said.
“One of the ways we have done this is by embedding the international experience brought by Hyundai Rotem into the Hunter and Central Coast regions. As the local company within RailConnect NSW, UGL Transport has been the key integrator in this success.”
All three companies of the RailConnect NSW consortium – UGL Transport, Hyundai Rotem, and Mitsubishi Electric Australia – work side by side with one another at the advanced maintenance facility in Kangy Angy, on the NSW Central Coast.
RailConnect NSW is an example to the Australian rail sector of how a leading rail company successfully integrated and localised international expertise into the Hunter and Central Coast while creating a culture of strong collaboration for long term benefit to the community.
Ian said: “It shows what is possible for future major railway projects in Australia, like Future Fleet, when it comes to project delivery, technology integration and working in partnership.”
Il Yeon Cho, Head of Hyundai Rotem’s rolling stock business, said:
“The Mariyung are the most technologically advanced and standards-compliant trains on the NSW Electrified Rail Network.
“The partner companies of RailConnect NSW, collectively, have proven technology, decades of experience and established local capabilities, to successfully achieve the objective of building future trains locally in Australia and creating a sustainable industry for future generations.
“In the last ten years, we have focused on making the Mariyung some of the most human-factors-centered and environmentally friendly trains that meet world class standards.
“Now we are preparing the next generation of trains to adopt new technology such as artificial intelligence, digital technology, automation, and robotics.
“Together with our partners in RailConnect NSW, we want to bring these new technologies into the next generation of the Mariyung and provide better, smarter and more reliable services for the people of New South Wales.”
Today, passengers who take Mariyung trains are met with the following message on the screens: a more comfortable, safe, and convenient trip – a genuine acknowledgement to how well the Mariyung has been received by commuters across Sydney’s intercity network every day.
Congratulations to RailConnect NSW for delivering the Mariyung and for your 10 year anniversary!
About RailConnect NSW
RailConnect NSW is an unincorporated joint venture that formed in 2016 between UGL Transport, Hyundai Rotem and Mitsubishi Electric Australia to design, manufacture, and maintain the Mariyung New Intercity Fleet for New South Wales.