The first train built by Siemens for the new Sydney Metro line to Western Sydney Airport has arrived in the city.

Siemens has an order for 12 of the three-car trains for the new line, and they are the first metro trains that Siemens Mobility has supplied to Australian operators since 2006.

Before being shipped to Australia, the trains underwent commissioning and testing in Vienna, Austria, and in a Test and Validation Centre at Wildenrath in Germany, where it was subjected to wind performance tests in a climate chamber to prove its reliability under a wide range of environmental conditions.

Further testing and commissioning of the train will take place now it has arrived in Sydney, initially at a Stabling and Maintenance Facility in Orchard Hills, NSW, followed by main line testing.

All trains are fitted with Grade of Automation 4 (GoA4), which will provide a fully-automated service on the 23-km-long new line connecting Greater Western Sydney with the Nancy-Bird Walton Western Sydney International Airport.

The design is based on Siemens Mobility’s Inspiro High Capacity platform, but with special adaptations for use on the airport route.

Siemens Mobility was awarded a turnkey contract in 2022 to deliver the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport project.

Using fully-automated, driverless metro trains, which will connect the new airport with the Bradfield City Centre.

The project includes installation of the digital rail infrastructure, including signalling, electrification, telecoms, platform screen doors, and a depot.

Maintenance will be overseen using Siemens Mobility’s Railigent X, which provides proactive monitoring of the fleet, remote diagnostics, and highlighting issues early.

The contract also includes 15 years of full-service maintenance.

Although this is Siemens Mobility’s first contract in Australia in 20 years, it is active in other parts of the world, including orders for new trains for Italy and Germany.

“The arrival of the first train in Australia marks an important milestone for the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport project and for Siemens Mobility’s turnkey business globally. We can now proceed to the next project phase, which involves dynamic testing in Sydney. Together with our Parklife Metro partners and Sydney Metro, we are delivering a state-of-the-art, fully automated metro system while introducing Railigent X to Australia for the first time to enhance predictive maintenance and network performance.”

Léon Soulier, CEO, Siemens Mobility Turnkey Business Unit