The first railcar of a new fleet of light rail vehicles (LRVs) was unveiled in Sydney by the Government of New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance, following the vehicle's arrival from France.
A total of 60 67m-long Citadis X05 tram sets are expected to be delivered to the city, and are set to operate on the line from Circular Quay to Randwick and Kingsford as 30 two-car sets.
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Berejiklian said: “It is a really exciting day to be standing here with the first of our world-class light rail vehicles and offering the people of NSW a glimpse of this innovative, modern vehicle.
“We know the travelling public have been patiently waiting for this major milestone.”
Each vehicle set will be capable of carrying up to 450 people, which is the equivalent passenger capacity of almost nine standard buses.
The deployment of the new trams is intended to ease congestion and offer a greater number of public transport options to commuters in Sydney.
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By GlobalDataConstance said: “These trams use four times less energy than an average bus and 10 times less energy than a car.
“The next step will be to begin testing the vehicles along part of the track later in the year, ahead of services starting operation in 2019.”
The Alstom-made Citadis LRVs are currently used in more than 50 cities worldwide, while Sydney will be the first to deploy the new Citadis X05 model.
CBD and South East Light Rail will oversee the operation of the new vehicles, which are expected to provide a reliable transport service from Circular Quay and the Central Business District, to Randwick and Kingsford through Surry Hills, Moore Park and Kensington.
Image: First Citadis X05 Light Rail Vehicle delivered to Sydney, Australia. Photo: © Alstom.
