Australind (train)
 An Australind at Bunbury in January 2014 | |||||
| Overview | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service type | Passenger train | ||||
| Status | Operational | ||||
| Locale | South West Western Australia | ||||
| First service | 24 November 1947 | ||||
| Current operator(s) | Transwa | ||||
| Former operator(s) | WAGR (1947–1975) Westrail (1975–2000) WAGR Commission (2000–2003) | ||||
| Ridership | 60,507 (year to June 2022) | ||||
| Route | |||||
| Termini | Perth Bunbury | ||||
| Stops | 13 | ||||
| Distance travelled | 167 kilometres | ||||
| Average journey time | 2 hours 30 minutes | ||||
| Service frequency | Twice daily | ||||
| Train number(s) | 9/10 | ||||
| Line(s) used | South Western Railway | ||||
| Technical | |||||
| Rolling stock | ADP/ADQ class railcars | ||||
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | ||||
| |||||
The Australind is a rural passenger train service in Western Australia operated by Transwa on the South Western Railway between Perth and Bunbury.
History
The Australind service began on 24 November 1947 and was hauled initially by U class steam locomotives.[1] With an average speed of 63 km/h (39 mph), it was the fastest narrow gauge passenger train in Australia.[2] It was named to commemorate the city of that name envisioned by Marshall Waller Clifton on Leschenault Inlet 100 years previously. The current hamlet of Australind, a satellite town of Bunbury, has never had a passenger rail service, nor even a railway line.
In February 1958, X class diesel locomotives took over. The service was relaunched on 1 October 1960 with onboard catering removing the need for an elongated stop at Pinjarra. On 16 November 1987, the current ADP/ADQ class railcars took over the service reducing journey times to 2 hours 30 minutes.[3][4][5][6]
Rolling stock
When introduced, the train consisted of new carriages built by the Midland Railway Workshops.[4] In August 1985, Westrail awarded Comeng, Bassendean a contract for five Westrail ADP/ADQ class railcars, three ADPs with driving cabs and two ADQs, using a similar body shell and interior fitout to the New South Wales XPT carriages.[7] Each carriage was powered by a Cummins KTA19 coupled to a Voith transmission. They usually operate as a three or four carriage set. Five carriage set operation is not possible due to the limited platform length available at Perth station.[5]
In July 2003, the DMUs were painted in a new livery in line with the formation of Transwa. In 2007, the DMUs were painted white as part of a refurbishment program. In 2010/11, new seats were fitted.[8] Two new Australind trains, each consisting of a three-car set, are scheduled to be delivered in 2022[needs update] to 2023 for a cost of $54 million.[9][10][11] The new diesel-multiple-units will be built by Alstom in Bellevue as part of the $1.25 billion contract to deliver 246 Transperth C-series carriages.
Route
The Australind departs from Perth traversing the metropolitan Armadale line to Armadale, then the South Western Railway to Bunbury.[12]
Stations
- Perth
- Armadale
- Byford
- Mundijong
- Serpentine
- North Dandalup
- Pinjarra
- Waroona
- Yarloop
- Cookernup
- Harvey
- Brunswick Junction
- Bunbury
Ridership
The Australind had 60,507 passengers in the year leading up to June 2022.[13]
See also
References
- ^ "The Australind – Fast Day Train to Bunbury". Kalgoorlie Miner. 26 November 1947. p. 1. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- ^ Gunzburg, Adrian (1984). A History of WAGR Steam Locomotives. Perth: Australian Railway Historical Society. p. 128. ISBN 0-9599690-3-9.
- ^ May, Andrew S; Gray, Bill (2006). A History of WAGR Passenger Carriages. Midland, WA: Bill Gray. pp. 183, 312, 314. ISBN 0646459023.
- ^ a b Higham, Geoffrey (2007). Marble Bar to Mandurah: A history of passenger rail services in Western Australia. Bassendean: Rail Heritage WA. pp. 111, 113, 119. ISBN 978-0-9803922-0-3.
- ^ a b Dunn, John C. (2013). "Perth-Bunbury Railcars". Comeng: A History of Commonwealth Engineering Volume 5, 1985-2012. Dural, NSW: Rosenberg Publishing. pp. 113–122. ISBN 9781925078046.
- ^ "Australind Timetable" (PDF). Transwa. Public Transport Authority. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ "Western Australia" Railway Digest September 1985 page 279
- ^ Annual Report June 2011 Archived 27 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine Public Transport Authority
- ^ Minister for Transport (18 August 2019). "Made in WA: Metronet railcars to be proudly built in WA". Archived from the original on 5 September 2019.
- ^ "Alstom to supply next generation of EMUs to Perth". Metro Report International. 20 August 2019. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019.
- ^ "New Australind Railcar Design Unveiled". Railway-News. 23 January 2020. Archived from the original on 11 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- ^ "Our fleet". Public Transport Authority. Perth, WA: Government of Western Australia. Archived from the original on 29 November 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
- ^ "Public Transport Authority Annual Report 2021-22" (PDF). Public Transport Authority. 2022. p. 21. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
External links
Media related to Transwa Australind at Wikimedia Commons- Perth Trains gallery (archived)
