New South Wales XPT

New South Wales XPT
Company type	Passenger train series
Industry	Rail transport
Founded	January 1982; 44 years ago
Founder	Commonwealth Engineering and ABB
Headquarters	New South Wales, Australia
Products	Diesel-powered passenger trains
Parent	NSW TrainLink

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The New South Wales XPT (eXpress Passenger Train) is a diesel-powered passenger train series constructed by Commonwealth Engineering and ABB. Inspired by the British Rail's InterCity 125, each XPT configuration features two XP power cars arranged in a push-pull setup, accompanied by between four and seven passenger coaches.

Following a competitive tender process in March 1980, an initial procurement of 30 trainsets—comprising ten power cars and twenty trailers—was secured. The design was extensively modified from the original InterCity 125 concept. Trial runs commenced in August 1981, with the inaugural set entering operational service under the State Rail Authority in January 1982. The introduction of the XPT notably shortened journey durations between Sydney and Melbourne by as much as two hours.

Throughout the 1980s, the acquisition of additional trainsets facilitated expansion into routes such as the Northern Tablelands Express and Riverina Express. A surcharge on XPT fares was eliminated in May 1985. In the early 1990s, sleeping cars were incorporated to accommodate overnight services like the Sydney/Melbourne Express. Although there were considerations to export further units to Thailand, these plans were ultimately discontinued.

Presently managed by NSW TrainLink, XPT trains operate on long-distance regional and interstate corridors across New South Wales and extend into Victoria and Queensland via the North Coast, Main Western, and Main Southern lines.

Refurbishment programs initiated in the early 1990s have prolonged the fleet’s service life well into the current century. In October 2016, the New South Wales government announced intentions to replace the entire XPT fleet through the Regional Train Project. Despite an initial target for introduction in 2023, delays have postponed deployment to approximately between 2025 and 2027, thereby extending the operational lifespan of existing XPT units with some expected to remain active beyond the arrival of new trains.

Development

Enhancing public transport was a central focus during the 1976 New South Wales state election. The newly established Wran government pledged to invest in new rolling stock specifically for regional rail services.

In January 1978, the Public Transport Commission called for tenders to supply 25 high-speed railcars, modeled after Western Australia's Prospector railcars, which had been constructed by Comeng in 1971. Comeng submitted a design inspired by the British Rail High Speed Train, operational since 1976. By August 1979, Comeng secured the contract; although the initial tender requested 100 vehicles, the final order placed in March 1980 was for 30 units: comprising 10 power cars and 20 passenger carriages, arranged into four sets of five cars each with two additional power cars as spares.

The High Speed Train concept underwent several adaptations: power cars were shortened by , the Paxman Valenta engines were de-rated from their original output, gearing was adjusted to allow a maximum speed of , suspension systems were modified to suit lower-quality track infrastructure, and air filtration and cooling mechanisms were redesigned to cope with Australia's hotter and dustier environment. Passenger coaches, constructed with a larger loading gauge than those used on British railways, drew from a Budd design. The bogies were based on the British Rail BT10 model; subsequent coaches incorporated revised bogies following concerns over ride comfort. The XPT is capable of achieving speeds up to .

Testing commenced in August 1981 using the first power car coupled with a trailer and a stainless steel luggage van. The initial color scheme featured red, black, and orange hues with InterCity XPT branding. During a demonstration journey to Albury on 6 September 1981, the XPT set an Australian rail speed record by reaching 183 km/h between Table Top and Gerogery, exceeding the previous record held by the Prospector since 1971. A subsequent trial in September 1992 recorded a speed of 193 km/h between Table Top and Yerong Creek. This was later surpassed in May 1999 by Queensland Rail's Electric Tilt Train.

In service

The first complete XPT set entered trial runs in January 1982. Four initial sets began operating on the Central West XPT route to Dubbo in April 1982, followed by the Mid North Coast XPT service to Kempsey in May, and the Riverina XPT line to Albury starting in August. The introduction of the XPT cut travel time between Sydney and Dubbo by almost two hours.

In 1983, an order for five extra power cars and 15 trailers was placed, enabling the launch of the Canberra XPT in August of that year and the Northern Tablelands XPT serving Glen Innes and Tenterfield twice weekly from June 1984. This reduced travel time between Sydney and Canberra by approximately 50 minutes. An overnight South XPT service to Albury was introduced but discontinued in June 1985 due to insufficient patronage. By 1985, an additional batch of 12 trailers allowed for six seven-car sets. Beginning October that year, the Mid North Coast XPT was replaced by the Holiday Coast XPT running to Grafton, while the Northern Tablelands route was scaled back to operate on alternate days supplemented by HUB/RUB sets on off days.

Initially, passengers paid a surcharge for traveling on XPT services compared with locomotive-hauled trains; this extra fee was removed from May 1985 onwards.

Plans to extend services as far as Melbourne involved cost-sharing arrangements with V/Line. In February 1985, a five-car promotional train ran to Melbourne offering free shuttle connections. Crew training commenced on the North East line in July that year with intended service launches in August; however, these plans were aborted due to industrial disputes. Another promotional run took place in November 1990.

Following the election of the Greiner government in 1988, consultants Booz Allen Hamilton recommended shutting down all regional passenger trains for financial reasons; nonetheless, political factors ensured continued operation albeit with reduced rail services exclusively using XPTs.

In February 1990, the Brisbane Limited and Pacific Coast Motorail services were replaced by XPT operations extending to Brisbane and Murwillumbah respectively. To accommodate this changeover, the Canberra XPT was withdrawn and substituted with locomotive-hauled trains; meanwhile, the Northern Tablelands Express was shortened to day return trips terminating at Tamworth.

The government placed an order for Xplorers in June 1990 aimed at reinstating services to Armidale and Moree. These units entered service in October 1993, marking the end of Northern Tablelands XPT operations and replacing locomotive-hauled trains on Grafton routes.

In October 1990, eight sleeper carriages were procured for overnight services linking Brisbane, Murwillumbah, and Melbourne. These formed part of a joint purchase made with Victoria involving four power cars and thirteen trailers ordered from ABB in 1991. Earlier rolling stock received repainting into CountryLink livery carried out by Clyde Engineering (power cars) and Breemar (carriages).

Starting November 1993, XPTs took over from locomotive-hauled trains on overnight Sydney-Melbourne Express routes. By December 1994, an extended daylight service from Albury to Melbourne had cut travel times by up to two hours.

In 1995, CountryLink conducted trials using three Swedish Railways SJ X2000 tilting carriages on Canberra services coupled with modified power cars XP2000 and XP2009.

Since 2003, an annual XPT service has operated each January transporting attendees to Parkes for the Parkes Elvis Festival. After closure of the Murwillumbah line in May 2004, services were curtailed back to Casino. In October 2013, one isolated set was assigned temporarily to operate on the Outback Xplorer service bound for Broken Hill following bushfires west of Lithgow.

Prospective export transaction

In 1986, plans were made to construct a series of XPT trains for the State Railway of Thailand. To accommodate the narrower gauge while preserving fuel storage, it was proposed to lengthen the power cars by and equip them with Bo′Bo′Bo′ bogies. Negotiations proceeded to the extent that the Prime Minister of Thailand publicly announced the arrangement; however, at the final stage, support was withdrawn by the Australian Department of Trade, leading to the deal's collapse.

Accidents and incidents

On 3 May 1991, an XPT power car experienced a derailment near Henty, resulting in injuries to the driver and six passengers.

A collision between an XPT and a vehicle occurred on 27 January 2001 at a level crossing during the Gerogery level crossing accident, causing five deaths and causing the train to derail.

On 20 February 2020, an XPT traveling from Sydney to Melbourne derailed close to Wallan, causing fatalities for both the driver and pilot, and injuring twelve others. The front powercar, XP2018, was reconstructed as XP2019 and returned to operation in February 2023. Two carriages involved were deemed beyond repair.

Replacement

In October 2016, the New South Wales government revealed plans to phase out the XPTs through the Regional Train Project. By December that year, multiple manufacturers had been shortlisted to provide new trains. In February 2019, a contract was awarded to Spanish firm Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) for bi-mode Civity trains, designated as the New South Wales R set, intended to supersede the XPT fleet. Although initially scheduled for entry into service in 2023, delivery has been delayed reportedly due to requested modifications in design. The government has not excluded continued use of XPTs after these new trains are introduced.

In February 2025, a $40.3 million refurbishment initiative was announced by NSW to extend the operational lifespan of XPT power cars and passenger carriages.

Services

The XPT fleet runs routes connecting Sydney with destinations including Grafton, Casino, Brisbane, Dubbo, and Melbourne. The Central West Express serving Dubbo and the Grafton Express existed prior to the introduction of XPTs, which subsequently assumed operation of these services.

XP power cars

A total of nineteen XP power cars were produced, originally equipped with Paxman Valenta 12RP200L engines featuring a single turbocharger. Beginning in June 2000, these engines were replaced by more robust Paxman VP185 12-cylinder diesel units incorporating four low-pressure and two high-pressure turbochargers—technology that had been successfully utilized on British Rail's High Speed Trains since 1994. Traction systems were provided by Brush Traction based in Loughborough.

Each power car is divided into five principal sections: driver's cab, clean air compartment, engine compartment, cooling system area, and compressor section.

Power cars received names reflecting cities and towns served by the XPT network:

Earlier units were manufactured by Comeng at Granville; XP2015 through XP2018 were built by ABB, Dandenong. Notably, XP2015 was renamed City of Bathurst after leading an XPT that established Australia's rail speed record in 1992; XP2017 took on its original designation.

Carriages

Between 1992 and 1993, the XPT carriages were refurbished, receiving a fresh coat of paint featuring the CountryLink livery. A further refurbishment took place from 2005 to 2008. Following the loss of two carriages in the 2020 Wallan derailment, UGL Rail was engaged to transform two XF economy seating cars into an XAM sleeper and an XBR first-class buffet carriage.

By June 2023, the fleet comprised a total of 58 carriages, categorized as follows:

Seven sleeping cars: XAM2175-2178, 2180–2182
Eight first-class saloon cars: XL2228, 2230-2236
Eight first-class saloon/buffet cars: XBR2150–2158
Twenty-five economy class saloon cars: XF2200-2223
Nine economy class saloon/luggage cars: XFH2104–2110, 2112, 2113

Operating cycle

The Dubbo set provides a daily return service, whereas seven other sets operate on a weekly rotation. These services cover routes linking Sydney, Melbourne, Grafton, Casino, and Brisbane. During layovers in Sydney, trains undergo servicing at the XPT Service Centre located near Sydenham station. This operational pattern results in one of the highest utilization rates for train fleets worldwide, with only three major intervals of downtime for overnight stabling at Grafton and Sydney.

Formations

Originally, all trains ran with five-carriage sets, which were later expanded to seven following additional acquisitions. In 1998, each set was shortened to six carriages. By 2001, outside school holiday periods, all sets operated with five carriages. Presently, XPTs traveling to Dubbo consist of four carriages arranged from the country end as XL, XBR, XF, and XFH. For North Coast and Melbourne routes, five-carriage formations are standard (XAM, XL, XBR, XF, XFH), with an additional XF carriage added during peak demand to form six-carriage sets (XAM, XL, XBR, XF, XF, XFH). The Dubbo set is capable of running with a single power car if necessary; this power unit is turned around at the destination.

Depot

Maintenance for the XPT fleet is centralized at the XPT Service Centre, a dedicated facility situated south of Sydenham station within the Meeks Road Triangle. All servicing tasks are performed here except for wheel reprofiling. That specific maintenance is carried out at Flemington Maintenance Depot using a specialized wheel lathe.

External links