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Comeng (train)
The Comeng (/ˈkɒmɛndʒ/ KOM-enj) is a class of electric multiple unit (EMU) operating on the suburban railway network of Melbourne. Built by their namesake Commonwealth Engineering (abbreviated as Comeng), the trains were introduced in 1981 as a replacement for the Tait and Harris trains. In total, 190 three-car trainsets were built, although only 111 remain in service and are expected to be retired by 2030.
The fleet underwent two major refurbishments. The first, a mid-life refurbishment, was carried out from 2000 to 2003 by Alstom and EDi Rail. The second, named the Comeng Life Extension Project, completed between 2017 and 2021, aimed to extend the trains' lifespan to meet their gradual replacement by the High Capacity Metro Trains and the X'Trapolis 2.0 trains. Alongside these upgrades, a number of minor improvement programs were also conducted on the trains to further enhance their efficiency, safety, and reliability.
Comeng trains are single deck and are semi-permanently coupled as M-T-M (motor-trailer-motor) sets. Most frequently, they are coupled as M-T-M-M-T-M (six-car) sets. Comeng trains have power operated doors that must be pulled open manually by hand but are closed by the driver. The trains were the first suburban trains in Melbourne to have air-conditioning in the passenger saloon.[original research?] (The older Hitachi trains had driver only air-conditioning fitted more recently.)
They operate in larger numbers on the Northern, Caulfield, Cross City and Sandringham group lines. Since 2017, it has been rare to see Comengs on the Burnley and Clifton Hill group lines which are serviced almost exclusively by newer X'Trapolis trains. The design of Melbourne's Comeng trains is closely related to that of Adelaide Metro's diesel-electric 3000 class railcars.[original research?]
The Comeng fleet has begun retirement, with many sets being transferred to North Shore and Tottenham to be stored. The stored sets eventually being transferred to Laverton, North Bendigo or McIntyre for scrapping. The fleet will eventually be replaced by the High Capacity Metro Trains (HCMT) and X'Trapolis 2.0 fleet.
In 1979, the operator of the Melbourne rail network at the time VicRail, placed an initial order for 100 new 3-car train sets, with the intention of replacing the last of the Tait sets and the majority of the Harris sets. The contract was awarded to Commonwealth Engineering, with the trains being manufactured at Comeng's Dandenong rolling stock factory.[citation needed]
The first Comeng set, 301M-1001T-302M, entered service on 28 September 1981. By the middle of 1984, 76 sets had been delivered, and some of the older trains, including the last of the Tait rolling stock, had begun to be phased out. Following the operational problems and subsequent failed refurbishment of the Harris fleet, the initial order was increased from 100 to 190 3-car sets, with the aim of completely replacing both the Tait and Harris sets by 1988.
Set 381M-1041T-382M was the first delivered in the Metropolitan Transit green and yellow scheme, though the sets including 27T and 28T had been repainted (with those cars renumbered 1027T and 1028T respectively) before then. Notably, when the 41st set was delivered the front panels of the motor carriages were still silver-framed rather than yellow.
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Comeng (train)
The Comeng (/ˈkɒmɛndʒ/ KOM-enj) is a class of electric multiple unit (EMU) operating on the suburban railway network of Melbourne. Built by their namesake Commonwealth Engineering (abbreviated as Comeng), the trains were introduced in 1981 as a replacement for the Tait and Harris trains. In total, 190 three-car trainsets were built, although only 111 remain in service and are expected to be retired by 2030.
The fleet underwent two major refurbishments. The first, a mid-life refurbishment, was carried out from 2000 to 2003 by Alstom and EDi Rail. The second, named the Comeng Life Extension Project, completed between 2017 and 2021, aimed to extend the trains' lifespan to meet their gradual replacement by the High Capacity Metro Trains and the X'Trapolis 2.0 trains. Alongside these upgrades, a number of minor improvement programs were also conducted on the trains to further enhance their efficiency, safety, and reliability.
Comeng trains are single deck and are semi-permanently coupled as M-T-M (motor-trailer-motor) sets. Most frequently, they are coupled as M-T-M-M-T-M (six-car) sets. Comeng trains have power operated doors that must be pulled open manually by hand but are closed by the driver. The trains were the first suburban trains in Melbourne to have air-conditioning in the passenger saloon.[original research?] (The older Hitachi trains had driver only air-conditioning fitted more recently.)
They operate in larger numbers on the Northern, Caulfield, Cross City and Sandringham group lines. Since 2017, it has been rare to see Comengs on the Burnley and Clifton Hill group lines which are serviced almost exclusively by newer X'Trapolis trains. The design of Melbourne's Comeng trains is closely related to that of Adelaide Metro's diesel-electric 3000 class railcars.[original research?]
The Comeng fleet has begun retirement, with many sets being transferred to North Shore and Tottenham to be stored. The stored sets eventually being transferred to Laverton, North Bendigo or McIntyre for scrapping. The fleet will eventually be replaced by the High Capacity Metro Trains (HCMT) and X'Trapolis 2.0 fleet.
In 1979, the operator of the Melbourne rail network at the time VicRail, placed an initial order for 100 new 3-car train sets, with the intention of replacing the last of the Tait sets and the majority of the Harris sets. The contract was awarded to Commonwealth Engineering, with the trains being manufactured at Comeng's Dandenong rolling stock factory.[citation needed]
The first Comeng set, 301M-1001T-302M, entered service on 28 September 1981. By the middle of 1984, 76 sets had been delivered, and some of the older trains, including the last of the Tait rolling stock, had begun to be phased out. Following the operational problems and subsequent failed refurbishment of the Harris fleet, the initial order was increased from 100 to 190 3-car sets, with the aim of completely replacing both the Tait and Harris sets by 1988.
Set 381M-1041T-382M was the first delivered in the Metropolitan Transit green and yellow scheme, though the sets including 27T and 28T had been repainted (with those cars renumbered 1027T and 1028T respectively) before then. Notably, when the 41st set was delivered the front panels of the motor carriages were still silver-framed rather than yellow.