X'Trapolis 100

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Alstom X'Trapolis 100 (Melbourne)
Capacity	264 seated, 133 standing per 3-car unit[1]
Running configuration(s)	Currently two 3-car sets (motor-trailer-motor)
Maximum running speed	Max 130km/h by design, 115km/h allowed. Currently limited to 90km/h due to a computer problem.
Replaced/Preceded by	'Hitachi/Silvers'
Built by	Alstom, La Rochelle, France (complete first 10 units), Alstom La Rochelle France (bodyshells for unit 11 onwards)+Alstom Ballarat, Australia (final assembly and fitout)
In construction	0
Built	58
In Service	58
Fleet numbers	851M-1626T-852M, through 965M-1683T-966M
Depots	Most 'Connex North' depots
Weight
Tare	43 tonnes (Motor car), 35 tonnes (Trailer car)
Dimensions
Length	24.46m (Motor car), 22.75 (Trailer car)
Width	3050mm
Height	4210mm
Articulated sections	Between all carriages in unit
Power
Motor	4x Alstom ECA 1836
Electrical	1500V DC overhead
Propulsion

Alstom X'Trapolis 100 (Valparaiso)
Capacity
Running configuration(s)	Two motor cars.
Maximum running speed	Max 120km/h
Replaced/Preceded by
Built by
In construction
Built
In Service
Fleet numbers
Depots
Weight
Tare
Dimensions
Length
Width
Height
Articulated sections	Between all carriages in unit
Power
Motor
Electrical	3kV overhead
Propulsion

The X'Trapolis 100 is a single deck electric passenger train, one of Alstom's X'Trapolis family of trains, used in Melbourne, Australia and Valparaiso, Chile.

Contents 1 Melbourne 1.1 Construction 1.2 Operation 1.3 Characteristics 2 External links 3 Reference

[edit] Melbourne

Melbourne Transport Enterprises (MTE), now known as Connex Melbourne, was required to replace Hitachi/'Silver' rollingstock as part of its original contract to operate the 'Hillside' network, one of two operations that the Melbourne's suburban railway system had been split into. Connex Melbourne contracted to Alstom to maintain the trains and infrastructure so that Connex could concentrate on the service, so X'Trapolis trains were ordered. In comparison, National Express, who gained the franchise for the other half of the system, ordered Siemens MOMO rollingstock to operate their Bayside/M>Train franchise. (Connex Melbourne now operates the entire network, including the Siemens trains)

[edit] Construction

Around 58 three-car trains were ordered (56 to replace Hitachi stock, plus two to replace the failed experimental double deck train). The first ten units were completely assembled at Alstom, La Rochelle in France, however, from unit 11 onwards, only body shells were assembled at La Rochelle, with the rest of the train being assembled in Victoria at Alstom's Ballarat plant.

The last X'Trapolis train was introduced to service in Melbourne on 17 December 2004. It ran a special trip from Flinders Street to South Kensington and back to mark the event.

[edit] Operation

X'Trapolis trains currently do not operate on former M>Train, or 'Connex South' lines in revenue service, although they have and do operate on some of those lines for testing and driver training. Although Melbourne's trains operate as either one or two 3-car units, the X'Trapolis trains have so far not normally operated as single-units, but are expected to do so before the end of 2006.

[edit] Characteristics

The trains have power-operated doors that open when a button on the door is pressed and are closed by the driver. This system is shown to be very effective to assist the frail or disabled to board and leave the trains and have allowed the doors to open wide to the door frames (the older trains have handles to manually open the doors, and this does not allow the doors to open as wide).

The X'Trapolis trains are the only trains in Melbourne with external destination displays on the sides of the trains, but the external destination displays on the ends of the trains are harder to read than ones on Siemens rollingstock ordered by M>Train.

Several trains were given names, mostly by schools winning a naming competition. The names are: Croydon West, Don Corrie, Flash, Flinders Flyer, Iramoo, Melbourne Rocks, and Westernport.

[edit] External links

• ALSTOM Transport
• X'Trapolis official site at ALSTOM Transport
• X'Trapolis Train Photos at Railpage Australia
• X'Trapolis Train Photos at Gran Valparaiso (in Spanish)

[edit] Reference

1. ^ X'Trapolis, vicsig.net, http://www.vicsig.net/index.php?page=suburban&traintype=X'Trapolis, accessed 15 September 2006