| InterCity Express | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | ABB/Walkers |
| Fleet numbers | 151-158 (20 built) 16x power carriages 4x trailer carriages |
Walkers-ABB InterCity Express (ICE) are a model of electric multiple unit used by Citytrain in South East Queensland, Australia. They were built for a North Coast Line service between Brisbane and Rockhampton, the 'Spirit Of Capricorn'. The trains are now used on commuter rail services in South East Queensland.
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Queensland Rail introduced the ICE sets in 1988, for use on the North Coast Line between Brisbane and Rockhampton. The service was named the 'Spirit Of Capricorn' and boasted 2+1 seating and a trolley service. It reduced the journey time by a few hours when first introduced. In 1998, the faster QR Electric Tilt Train replaced most 'Spirit of Capricorn' services, which were reduced to once a week from 1998 then discontinued on 24 May 2003, when the diesel Tilt Train service to Cairns was launched. The ICEs were transferred to Citytrain for interurban services on the Nambour and Gympie North Line.
The trains have recently undergone a makeover, adding new high-visibility lights, yellow doors, upgraded toilets and a changed to squared-off windows on the cabs, instead of the original wrap-around windows.
Since 2003, ICEs have been used by Citytrain for interurban services exclusively on the Nambour and Gympie North Line. They no longer operate on the Gold Coast Line; despite their origin as long-distance trains and their higher standards of comfort (greater than the IMU sets), the narrow width, positioning and hinged configuration of doors and increasingly lower reliability, combined with the popularity of the line, make it difficult to run them there.
The train can be configured to run in a 4-car to 6-car train. Two power pairs can be accompanied by either one or two trailers cars to form a 5 or 6 car ICE train. A power pair consists of two power cars with ABB thyristor drive equipment, one of which includes the driver's cab. The power pairs are numbered 151-158. A power pair can also be coupled with an EMU set, to form a 5-car ICE/EMU hybrid unit. The ICE/EMU Hybrid is only used on the Sunday Gympie North services.
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