X'Trapolis 100

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 Valparaíso, Chile.

Melbourne

Alstom X'Trapolis 100 (Melbourne)
First order X'Trapolis train in the Metro Trains Melbourne livery
2nd generation X'Trapolis interior
Manufacturer	Alstom
Built at	La Rochelle, France (complete first 10 units), La Rochelle, France (bodyshells for unit 11 onwards), and Alstom Ballarat, Australia (final assembly and fitout)
Replaced	'Hitachi/Silvers'
Constructed	2002–2004, 2009–current
Entered service	2002–current
Number under construction	4
Number built	148 3-car trains
Number in service	148
Formation	Currently one or two 3-car sets (motor-trailer-motor)
Fleet numbers	851M–1626T–852M through 965M–1683T–966M, 1M–1301T–2M through 179M–1390T–180M
Capacity	264 seated, 133 standing per 3-car unit [1]
Depot(s)	Epping, Bayswater, Craigieburn and Newport Workshops
Line(s) served	South Morang, Hurstbridge, Lilydale, Belgrave, Alamein and Glen Waverley
Specifications
Car length	Motor car: 24 460 mm (over couplers) Trailer car: 22 760 mm (over couplers)
Width	3 046 mm
Height	3 650 mm (not including roof equipment)
Floor height	1 185 mm
Articulated sections	Between all carriages in unit
Maximum speed	143 km/h by design, limited to 90 km/h due to technical issues.
Weight	43 t (Motor car), 35 tonnes (Trailer car)
Traction system	4 x Alstom 4ECA 1836 (per motor car)
Acceleration	1.2 m/s2
Deceleration	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

First order

1st order X'Trapolis interior

Melbourne Transport Enterprises (MTE), which was known as Connex Melbourne (and since replaced by Metro Trains Melbourne), was required to replace Hitachi/'Silver' rollingstock as part of its original contract to operate the 'Hillside' network, one of two operations into which the Melbourne's suburban railway system had been split. 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 rolling stock to operate their Bayside/M>Train franchise.

58 three-car trains were ordered,^[2] 56 to replace Hitachi stock, plus two to replace the failed experimental 4D 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 facility. ^[3]

The trains differ from earlier trains on the Melbourne network in the following ways:

• Doors open when button pressed
• Sliding doors between carriages
• 1 pantograph per 3-car train

In service

X'Trapolis in the Connex Melbourne livery

The first X'Trapolis train entered revenue service on 27 December 2002, the last on 17 December 2004.^[1] It ran a special trip from Flinders Street to South Kensington and back to mark the event.

X'Trapolis trains currently do not operate on former M>Train, or 'Metro 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, it was not until September 2007 that the X'Trapolis trains were permitted to operate as single-units in revenue service.^[4]

The trains have power-operated doors that open when a button on the door is pressed and are closed by the driver or closed automatically after approximately two minutes. The X'Trapolis trains are the only suburban trains in Melbourne with external destination displays on the sides of the trains, however this feature is also on the Sprinter and VLocity rail motors. As of November 2010, one six-carriage X'Trapolis train has been refitted with the larger displays of the second-generation X'Trapolis. As of 2013, all first-generation X'Trapolis trains have the newer display system and can inter-operate with the later X'Trapolis trains.

Several trains were given names: Croydon West (primary school that won a naming contest),^[5] Don Corrie (deceased railway employee),^[6] Flash, Flinders Flyer, Iramoo (primary school that won a naming contest), Melbourne Rocks, and Westernport. X'Trapolis 863M-1632T-864M-897M-1649T-898M was the first Melbourne train to receive the new 'Metro' livery in November 2009, in preparation for the launch of the new suburban operator.^[7] When the Connex livery was retired in place of the current Metro design, the Iramoo name (shown on units 851M and 852M) has been erroneously written as Imaroo. This spelling is still unchanged as of December 2013.

Second and third order

In July 2007 the Victorian Government announced that Alstom was one of two companies invited to bid to build 10 new six-car trains for the existing network. Siemens was the other company, and both were limited to supplying trains that were the same as those already supplied to Melbourne. $360 million was budgeted for the new trains.^[8] The Department of Infrastructure found that the new trains delivered less than one additional peak-hour service across the entire network, and had initially lobbied the Government to buy 20 six-carriage trains.^[9] In October 2007 the tender was extended to 18 six-car trains costing $630 million, to be delivered by 2010.^[10] The tender was awarded to Alstom in December 2007 and the trains were delivered in a staged roll-out from early 2010.^[11] In February 2009 an additional order was placed, with 20 more six car trains added, taking the total to 38 trains.^[12]

The first of 19 trains that were built by Alstom in Italy were loaded onto a ship in July 2009,^[13] with the first set arriving at Newport Workshops on 24 August 2009.^[14][15] The remaining 19 trains were assembled at United Group's Ballarat plant, under a state government requirement for a minimum of 40% local content.^[16] The new trains were originally used in revenue service on lines already cleared for their operation, with Comeng trains on these lines being cascaded across to the other side of the network leaving a few of them in operation on the Burnley and Clifton Hill groups as they would be used during peak hours.^[17]

From a passenger perspective the new trains differ little from the existing X'Trapolis trains, but there are minor technical improvements for drivers.^[18] By late September the new units, numbered 1M-1301T-2M and 3M-1302T-4M, were moved into the open at the Newport Workshops and had been taken out on test runs without any livery applied. By October the train had received carriage numbers and names, with compatibility testing being carried out with a modified member of the existing fleet.^[19] By December 2009 the first set had received the Metro Trains Melbourne livery, and was running stopping-all-stations test runs without passengers on the Epping line.^[19]

The second train to be imported was taken to Ballarat immediately after arrival due to floor damage, with Alstom and United Group Rail spending two months making repairs.^[20] This train was transferred to Melbourne on February 28.^[21]

The first train entered revenue service for a few hours on December 30, 2009 despite the claims that train drivers were still having issues with the train, including getting the onboard passenger information display units to work,^[22][23] the train being taken out of service the next day.^[24] On February 15, 2010 rail operator Metro planned to reintroduce the train into service, but drivers refused to drive it citing unresolved safety issues. As a result Metro took the Rail, Tram and Bus Union to the federal industrial tribunal.^[25] On February 18 union representatives and Metro management met for private talks before Fair Work Australia,^[26] on February 20 an agreement was reached for the train to enter service that afternoon, an event that became a media circus.^[27]

The final train set comprising units 149M-1375T-150M and 151M-1376T-152M entered service in April 2012.^[28]

Fourth order

A further order of 7 additional trains was made by the government in 2011, comprising 14 three car units. The first train from this order was delivered in September 2012, five months ahead of schedule.^[29]

The final set in this order, comprising units 177M-1389T-178M and 179M-1390T-180M entered service on 14 June 2013.^[30]

Fifth order

On Wednesday April 10, 2013, a further 8 six-car trains were ordered which like the fourth order will have the body shells imported and fitted out at Alstoms Ballarat Workshops, these further 8 units are expected to be in service by 2015, which still falls short of the 54 additional trains that Metro expects will be needed to meet patronage growth by 2015.^[31]
It is also expected to be the last order of X'Trapolis trains before new 9-car trains are ordered with additional planning for them also announced at the same time as this X'Trapolis order. One of the sets ordered is according to Metro a replacement for the Comeng damaged beyond repair at Dandenong South.

Seating layout modifications

As part of the franchise agreement, Metro Trains Melbourne are required to modify the seating layout of all Comeng and (original) X'Trapolis trains to have 2-2 seating which allows better passenger flow through the train and more standing room. The new order of X'Trapolis trains will be delivered with this modified layout, which is the same as the Siemens trains currently use.

Mechanics

Mechanically, these trains are very different to the previous generation Melbourne trains. The X'Trapolis train was the first EMU in Melbourne to have computer controlled traction, braking, and safety systems. A continuous electrical circuit runs along the length of the train, which, when energised allows the train's emergency brakes to release. The circuit will be de-energised by a number of events, such as the driver releasing a vigilance control, applying an emergency brake, or passing a signal at stop. This will cause the train to apply all brakes.

Valparaíso

Alstom X'Trapolis 100 (Valparaíso)
Manufacturer	Alstom
Number built	27
Number in service	27
Formation	One or two 2-car sets (motor-trailer)
Capacity	144 seated, 254 standing per 2-car unit
Specifications
Articulated sections	Between all carriages in unit
Track gauge	1 676 mm (5 ft 6 in) Indian gauge

Valparaíso had an interurban passenger train system since the 19th century, but it could not be called a metro due to infrequent train service and a number of other shortcomings. In 1999 construction began on the current system, tearing down the old stations and building new ones with an homologous design shared between them. In Viña del Mar, a tunnel more than 5 kilometers in length was constructed. The new trains specially made for the new system arrived in Chile February 22, 2005 and the old system was decommissioned on June 30 of the same year.

References

External links

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