The permanent withdrawal of sleeper carriages on Sydney-Melbourne trains may be averted after new rolling stock enters service, thanks to the increasing popularity of intercity rail.
Transport for NSW (TfNSW) has a requirement to engage a Contractor to provide Technical Advisor Services for the Regional Overnight Sleeper Service Project.
The Regional Overnight Sleeper Services Project seeks a Technical Advisor to determine the minimum viable product for the rolling stock for NSW Trainlink to continue to offer a sleeper service between Sydney and Melbourne and prepare and assure the technical artifacts to support the Final Business Case (FBC) for the project and the gate 2 deliverables.
This is great news for those who travel between Sydney and Melbourne. This inter-capital service currently has a very popular sleeper service on the overnight journey. With the change in rolling stock type for regional NSW services (yes the inter-capital services are called regional services) the sleeper services were to be removed but this approach has caused much public outcry and is at odds with current trends in Australia and Europe and other jurisdictions where sleeper train services are rising in popularity.
TRANSPORT NSW is planning to introduce the R SET as an XPT replacement version (the interstate and long haul trains) are only 6 cars in a configuration and do not include a sleeper service.
Details can be viewed by visiting TRANSPORT NSW
Must be considered a welcome change back to what has been working well for their trains between Sydney and Melbourne.
Australia is decades behind the world when it comes to long distance passenger rail services. Victorian long distance trains are now a joke with Vlocity services. R Sets are looking a lot better but room for improvement. At least NSW is looking at the problem from the right angle. inter capital services should be a federal government responsibility and they are not which is why it is not working.
Sleeper services are high popular now and also across the world, they are making a significant comeback. Surprised these were not in the R set design.
Yes maybe they can sort out Vic problems with and try convice those desk jockey advisors in DOT in Vic that their one size fits all concept for train design is Nonsensical from a rolling stock engineering perspective!!!
All they are doing is damaging the newer train technology from Alstom in Vic by pushing it beyond its mechanical capabilities and design limitations for various travelling requiments for Vic Railway conditions!!!
Regional trains should be designed accordingly to the various travelling requirements for those people who use them and pack more luggage on board then metropolitan urban travellers!
Sleeper trains run properly should be fantastic for afl games in Adelaide Sydney and Melbourne.
Please can they ensure the all per services are continued they are very popular.