Photos – Out with the old and in with the new

There are currently a number of generational changes occurring in NSW transport. Things that have seemingly been around for ever are suddenly there no more, whilst brand new things now appear in their places. Today we bring you some pictures of these changes.

Buses

The old Scania L113TRBs with Ansair Orana 14.5 bodywork are finally reaching the end of their working life, with a number now starting to be retired from both the State Transit and Transit Systems fleet. These tri-axle buses have a higher capacity than standard buses and are 2.5m longer at 14.5m long, compared to 12m for a standard bus.

These buses have been most commonly seen on State Transit routes 288, 292, 392, 400 and L94 as well as Transit Systems route 420. You can still find them on those routes until the last of the type is retired later this year, after 26 years of service.

These buses are being replaced by a batch of buses from the revived Custom Bus. After going into receivership last year and closing down their production line, Custom Bus (previous Custom Coaches) was purchased by the Dunn Group (owners of Telfords) and set up a new production line to produce their popular CB80 series 2 model. The CB80 series 2 on a Scania K310UB chassis are currently entering service with State Transit to replace the old buses.

Some have criticised this choice for the replacement of the older Scania as they are only 12m long standard buses, reflecting a reduction of capacity when compared to the 14.5m long buses they are replacing.

Trains

Friday saw the last regularly scheduled run of a S set on the Sydney rail network. This will be a second retirement for the 40 year old trains, which were originally removed from all lines except the Olympic Park shuttle back in 2014. They were forced back into service as part of the controversial November 2017 timetable, which led the government to order 41 new Waratah trains.

Despite the end of timetabled running, 8 sets have been retained for emergency operation, and due to the Tangara Upgrade Program which is currently taking place, it is expected that these sets may be used on the T6 Carlingford and T7 Olympic Park lines in the coming weeks and months.

Deliveries of the first batch of 24 new Waratah Series 2 trains have now been completed, with all 24 trains now in service. These trains can now be found across the network, with all 24 sets being included in the latest run changes that started today.

The remaining 17 Waratah Series 2 trains were ordered as part of a seperate order and will begin deliveries later this year. The trains are distinctive due to their orange fronts and minor interior modifications.

Perhaps most excitingly, Sydney Metro is now one step closer to opening. The brand new line between Chatswood and Tallawong has been undergoing full timetable testing and its approval is in final stages at the regulator. Today also marks the start of a number of changes designed to make the transition of Metro into the network seamless, with more trains on the North Shore and changes to connecting bus services.

Sydney Metro will be the first driverless train system in Australia, with 22 driverless six car Alstom Metropolis trains operating along the new line once it opens, with services every 4 minutes in peak hour. All the stations along the route have been fitted with platform screen doors and allow for level boarding.

So out with the old and in with the new appears to be all the rage at the moment. Despite all the change, most of transport will stay the same. We have also confirmed that at this stage, it is the intention that both the Scania L113TRBs with Ansair Orana 14.5 and S sets will have an example preserved as part of the heritage transport fleet.