Siemens Nexas

Siemens Nexas
Siemens train at Flinders Street Station in Metro livery
Interior of a Siemens set
Manufacturer	Siemens AG
Built at	Siemens SGP Verkehrstechnik GmbH, Vienna, Austria
Family name	Modular Metro (MO.MO)
Replaced	'Hitachi' cars.
Constructed	2002–2005
Entered service	2003–current
Number built	72 sets (216 cars)
Number in service	72 sets (216 cars)
Formation	One or two 3-car sets (driving motor-trailer-driving motor, M-T-M)
Fleet numbers	701M–2501T–702M through 843M–2572T–844M
Capacity	(3-car set) 264 Sitting 8 Wheelchair 136 Standing 400 Total 792 Crush[1]
Operator	Metro Trains Melbourne
Depot(s)	'Connex South' (Former M>Train)
Line(s) served	Craigieburn, Cranbourne, Frankston, Pakenham, Sandringham, Sunbury, Upfield, Werribee, Williamstown.
Specifications
Car body construction	Stainless steel, single deck.
Car length	24.1 m (Motor car) 23.8 m (Trailer car)
Width	2 948 mm
Floor height	1 230 mm
Entry	4 x twin-leaf plug doors per car, 2 either side.
Articulated sections	2 per 3-car set, enclosed gangway.
Maximum speed	Maximum speed of 148 km/h, operating speed of 130 km/h.[2] Currently limited to 115 km/h.
Weight	41.5 tonnes (motor car, tare) 37.8 tonnes (trailer car, tare) 120.8 tonnes (set total, tare)
Acceleration	1.2 m/s2 (limited to 1 m/s2)
Electric system(s)	1.5 kV DC Overhead line
Coupling system	Scharfenberg coupler
Track gauge	1 600 mm (5 ft 3 in) Irish gauge

The Siemens Nexas (known colloquially as the "Siemens") comprises 72 triple car electrical multiple unit trains built by Siemens Mobility (was Siemens Transportation Systems) for the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Australia, from 2002-2005. The design of the trains was based on the Siemens Modular Metro (Mo.Mo) concept built in Austria. Introduced to service in 2003, the trains are some of the newest in the city's suburban fleet, however the Victorian State Government has recently ordered more of the previously delivered Alstom X'Trapolis 100 trains.

History

The Siemens trains were first ordered by the now defunct M>Train,^[3] one of two private operators which ran the network at that time. The Siemens trains, along with the Connex-ordered X'Trapolis trains, were intended to replace the ageing Hitachi trains, of which only six 3-carriage trains now remain.

Unlike the Connex Melbourne/Hillside franchise and its X'Trapolis trains, the Siemens trains were not originally proposed by National Express in the privatization agreement. The original contract specified trains built by Clyde Engineering (now EDI Rail) using Adtranz (now Bombardier Transportation) traction equipment.^[4]

Melbourne's original order was for 62 3-car sets, with an option for an additional ten 3-car sets.^[2] The metropolitan network was then acquired and run wholly by Connex Melbourne until late 2009, with ownership of the Siemens trains transferred in April 2004, but an additional ten trains were ordered by Connex Melbourne in August 2005, with the last of these trains delivered in February 2006.^[5]

Siemens Rail Services (a subsidiary of Siemens Ltd in Australia) was contracted to provide maintenance of the trains for a period of 15 years (subject to refranchising) at their Newport depot. With the refranchising of the network to Metro Trains Melbourne in 2009, this maintenance arrangement has been retained for an initial three-year period.^[2]

In service

The first service to operate with a Siemens train was the 08:43 service from Flinders Street Station to Pakenham station, on April 3, 2003, 13 days after the official launch. The first set was delivered to the Newport Railway Workshops on April 27, 2002.

The shuttle service between Williamstown station and Newport station was replaced with 3-carriage (M-T-M) Siemens trains on October 11, 2005. From around the same time, the Siemens trains could regularly be seen off peak and peak on the Caulfield Group (that is the Pakenham, Cranbourne, Frankston, and Sandringham lines), running as 3-car sets in off peak periods and 6-car sets in peak periods.

Like the Connex X'Trapolis trains running exclusively on lines owned by Connex prior to gaining ownership of M>Train's lines, the Siemens trains never run revenue services on lines owned by Connex prior to the merger, except for the Flemington Racecourse line which was cleared for Siemens trains to run passengers services on it while Regional Rail Link works were carried out on the Sydenham line.

Braking issues

In late 2006 the trains suffered a number of braking discrepancies while in service; 14 trains overshot platforms in the space of three days. The 15 units involved in these overshoots were withdrawn from service for checks, and instructions were issued to the drivers to minimise further occurrences.^[6] By mid-January 2007, a total of 24 three-carriage trains had been impounded for testing after 20 further incidents of over-running stations since December 22, 2006. The Age newspaper reported^[7] that the incidents were being inspected by Victoria's independent transport safety auditor, and that the trains' braking system had been sent to Britain for tests. Connex had hired an independent consultant to oversee a review.

On the January 13, 2007, Connex stopped running the Siemens trains as 3-car sets until the braking issue was resolved, with the result that all services (including evenings and weekends) on the Caulfield Group were operated by 6-car trains. On January 29, 2007, Connex cancelled 37 peak-period services until further notice, due to the shortage of operational trains.^[8]

By February 1, 2007, 38 three-car sets were withdrawn due to continuing braking failures, meaning that almost half of the Siemens fleet (or around ten percent of the total fleet) was out of revenue service.^[9] Amidst the media reporting an escalating problem with the risk of the entire fleet potentially having to be suspended, Siemens issued a statement on January 31, 2008 saying that they believed there had been no evidence during investigations of the braking failures that would require the entire fleet of trains to be withdrawn from service.^[10] Testing of affected trains was carried out on the Werribee line between Newport and Laverton, with soapy water sprayed onto the rails to increase the amount of wheel slip experienced, in an effort to replicate the brake fault.^[11] The entire fleet has now re-entered service, although with a restriction not to run single unit (3 car) operations.

In December 2008 train operator Connex commenced proceedings in the Supreme Court to claim damages from Siemens. Connex claims Siemens provided trains with a braking system that was "defective, faulty and inadequate", the trains being "not fit for their purpose" and were not of "merchantable quality". Sources told the Herald Sun that Connex may also attempt to claim compensation for loss of commuter confidence.^[12]

In March 2009, it was reported that three Siemens trains had been impounded due to new braking incidents in the week prior.^[13]

By December 2010 sanding equipment was trialled on set 773M-T-M in order to improve braking performance of the trains,^[14] and by February 2011 a number of in-service trains had also been fitted with the equipment. The sand boxes are fitted to the middle four bogies of each 3-car set.^[11]

In June 2011 installation of sanding equipment was completed across the entire Siemens fleet. Speed restrictions have now been lifted on all Siemens trains.

In September 2011 the Office of the Chief Investigator for transport safety found that “the relatively high frequency of overruns involving Nexas trains was neither the result of individual train defects nor any deficiency in train maintenance”.^[15]

Design

The bodies of the Siemens Modular Metro trains evolved from the 1993 DT2 Series used in the Nuremberg U-Bahn whose design in turn came from production of the A Series built for the nearby Munich U-Bahn, but now also used in Nuremberg.

The version of Siemens metro train designed for Melbourne included several attributes similar to existing Melbourne suburban electric trains such as being single-deck and operating in M-T-M (motor-trailer-motor) sets of three carriages, where the motor cars each have an overhead pantograph, and two of these 3-car sets are generally coupled together to form a 6-carriage train when run in revenue service, though a single set may be run when demand does not merit a full train. Each 3-carriage set can carry 522 people and is 71.9 m in length.

There are several notable differences between the Siemens trains and other trains which operate in Melbourne. These include:

• 2+2 (two and two) seating. All other trains had 2+3 seating, however new X'Trapolis trains ordered as part of the 2008 Victorian Government Transport Plans will have the same 2+2 seating configuration, and existing X'Trapolis and Comeng trains will have their seats modified to a 2+2 configuration as part of the franchise agreement.
• Two doors per carriage per side. Being significantly wider they were theorised to be slightly more efficient in loading and unloading passengers, although this is disputed by some sources,^[16][17] who believe the fewer doors lead to longer platform dwell times compared to the three smaller doors in other Melbourne trains.
• Plug-type doors - hinged outward and slide along the outside of the vehicle when opening.
• Extreme smooth, vertical walls.
• Open articulation. Passengers can freely move from carriage to carriage, within a 3-carriage set, without opening doors—the first such train with this configuration in Melbourne.

The Siemens train are fitted with a Passenger Information Display system (PIDS) produced by the German firm Annax. The system is unique to the Melbourne rail network, as it uses the original M>train voice of English dialect, and does not announce express running or the end of services. The external destination indicators are large in size compared to other Melbourne trains. New announcements that are said by the Alstom voice are slowly beginning to be installed to Siemens trains for North Melbourne, Craigieburn and Roxburgh Park stations since the Craigieburn Electrification Project was completed in mid-2007.^{[citation needed]}

In June 2008 Connex started a program to replace the seat coverings in a number of Siemens trains, using the same type of fabric as used in the X'Trapolis trains,^[18] so far fifteen carriages have been done - 711M, 712M, 715M, 716M, 759M, 760M, 821M, 822M, 841M, 842M, 2506T, 2508T, 2530T, 2561T and 2571T

Liveries

The Siemens trains have a stainless steel body, and were seen in a number of different liveries in previous years, owing to the changes in ownership that have occurred while the trains were entering service.

The trains were originally delivered with M>Train blue and green stripes on the side, and the M>Train 'swirl' on the front fairing. Later deliveries entering service in bare metal on the sides, and white front fairings with a green and yellow striped bar. On entering Connex ownership blue and yellow stripes were progressively added to the side of all trains, and front fairings were repainted yellow with the blue Connex logo.

After Metro Trains Melbourne took over the operation of the suburban network on 30 November 2009, the Connex logo on all trains was covered over as a temporary measure, with all sets progressively being decorated in the Metro livery, a process completed in March 2010.^[19]

Gallery

• 

  Siemens in the original M>Train livery

• 

  Siemens train in a trial M>Train livery

• 

  Siemens train at Mordialloc

• 

  A Siemens train during peak hour

• 

  Siemens trains use passenger-operated power doors

• 

  A Siemens train between Craigieburn and Roxburgh Park

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Siemens (train).

• SIEMENS AG: Siemens Transportation Systems wins major contract in Australia
• Siemens trains at VICSIG
• Siemens Mass Transit Reference List (See Page 16 and 17)
• Siemens Metro Projects