The Department of Transport has announced that the first full six-car C-series train built in Western Australia has completed high voltage testing.
“The train will move out of Bellevue in the next month for an extensive dynamic validation testing period,” the Department said.
“For approximately 12 months, the new train will travel along the Mandurah and Joondalup lines, outside of passenger service operating hours, to test how it runs in a live environment,” it said.
The Department said tests would include braking and acceleration, operational systems, passenger comfort and energy consumption, all to ensure the train was ready for passenger services by late-2023.
Minister for Transport, Rita Saffioti said the Government was committed to bringing railcar production back to Western Australia and the first locally-manufactured full six-car C-series train ready for testing was a major milestone.
“With railcars previously built outside of WA, this level of testing has never occurred locally,” Ms Saffioti said.
“It is an extremely important step in making sure the millions of passengers boarding the new trains each year will enjoy a safe, reliable and smooth journey,” she said.
“After this year of rigorous testing on the network in a live environment, the new train will begin passenger services, and will have the ability to move more people than the current trains.”
The Minister said that by 2029, 246 new C-series railcars locally built at the Bellevue facility would be servicing Perth’s growing METRONET train network.
