X'Trapolis 100

Infobox EMU
name=Alstom X'Trapolis 100 (Melbourne)

---

imagesize = 300px
caption = Connex Melbourne X'Trapolis at Mount Waverley
interior

interiorcaption = X'Trapolis Interior
Capacity=264 seated, 133 standing per 3-car unitcite web
url=http://www.vicsig.net/index.php?page=suburban&traintype=X'Trapolis
title=VICSIG - Suburban Trains - X'Trapolis
publisher=www.vicsig.net
accessdate=2008-03-14]
MaxSpeed=Max 140kmh (90mph) by design, 90kmh (55mph) allowed due to technical issues.
Formation=Currently one or two 3-car sets (motor-trailer-motor)
replaced= 'Hitachi/Silvers'
Manufacturer=Alstom
factory=La Rochelle, France (complete first 10 units), La Rochelle, France (bodyshells for unit 11 onwards), and Alstom Ballarat, Australia (final assembly and fitout)
yearconstruction= 2002 - 2009
yearservice= 2004 - current
yearscrapped=
numberconstruction=
numberbuilt=58 3-car trains, 18 more 6-car trains on order
numberservice=58
numberscrapped=
designation=851M-1626T-852M, through 965M-1683T-966M
Depots=Most 'Connex North' depots
Weight=43 tonnes (Motor car), 35 tonnes (Trailer car)
CarLength=24.46m (Motor car), 22.75 (Trailer car)
CarWidth=3050mm
CarHeight=4210mm
art-sections=Between all carriages in unit
Traction=4x Alstom ECA 1836
Voltage=1500V DC overhead|

Infobox EMU
name=Alstom X'Trapolis 100 (Valparaiso)

---

imagesize = 300px
caption = Metro Valparaiso
capacity=
Formation=Two motor cars
MaxSpeed=Max 120km/h
replaced=
manufacturer=
factory=
constructionyear=
serviceyear=
scrappedyear=
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built=
service=
scrapped=
designation=
depots=
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length=
width=
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art-sections=Between all carriages in unit
engine=
tractionmotor=
transmission=
Voltage=3kV overhead
auxiliaries=
prop=|The X'Trapolis 100 is a single deck electric passenger train, one of Alstom's X'Trapolis family of trains, used in Melbourne, Australia and Valparaiso, Chile.

Melbourne

Melbourne Transport Enterprises (MTE), now known as Connex Melbourne, was required to replace Hitachi/'Silver' rollingstock as part of its original contract to operate the 'Hillside' network, one of two operations into which the Melbourne's suburban railway system had been split. Connex Melbourne contracted to Alstom to maintain the trains and infrastructure so that Connex could concentrate on the service, so X'Trapolis trains were ordered. In comparison, National Express, who gained the franchise for the other half of the system, ordered Siemens MOMO rolling stock to operate their Bayside/M>Train franchise. (Connex Melbourne now operates the entire network, including the Siemens trains)

Construction

58 three-car trains were ordered,cite web
url=http://www.dpc.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/newmedia.nsf/798c8b072d117a01ca256c8c0019bb01/11f92c2160b6c533ca256c93007bbcaf?OpenDocument
title=X’TRAPOLIS WELCOMED TO MELBOURNE’S RAILWAYS
work=Media Release: MINISTER FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT
date=December 18, 2002
publisher=www.dpc.vic.gov.au
accessdate=2008-03-14] 56 to replace Hitachi stock, plus two to replace the failed experimental double deck train. The first ten units were completely assembled at Alstom, La Rochelle in France, however, from unit 11 onwards, only body shells were assembled at La Rochelle, with the rest of the train being assembled in Victoria at Alstom's Ballarat facility. [cite web
url=http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/MediaRelArc02.nsf/d025c300601da9dc4a25688e00143d49/d55a893fa46c1d7a4a256aad0080aac9!OpenDocument&Click=
title=$150 MILLION INVESTMENT IN RAIL MANUFACTURING
work=Media Release: MINISTER FOR MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY
date=August 17, 2001
publisher=www.legislation.vic.gov.au
accessdate=2008-03-14] The trains differ from earlier trains on the Melbourne network in the following ways:
*Doors open when button pressed
*Sliding doors between carriages
*1 pantograph per 3-car train

In service

The first X'Trapolis train entered revenue service on 27 December 2002, the last on 17 December 2004. It ran a special trip from Flinders Street to South Kensington and back to mark the event.

X'Trapolis trains currently do not operate on former M>Train, or 'Connex South' lines in revenue service, although they have and do operate on some of those lines for testing and driver training. Although Melbourne's trains operate as either one or two 3-car units, it was not until September 2007 that the X'Trapolis trains were permitted to operate as single-units in revenue service. [cite web
url=http://www.railpage.com.au/f-t11334902.htm
title=Finally - 3 car XTraps
worl= Railpage Australia Forums (Melbourne suburban)
publisher=www.railpage.com.au
accessdate=2008-03-14]

The trains have power-operated doors that open when a button on the door is pressed and are closed by the driver. The X'Trapolis trains are the only trains in Melbourne with external destination displays on the sides of the trains, but the external destination displays on the ends of the trains are harder to read than ones on Siemens rolling stock ordered by M>Train.

Several trains were given names: "Croydon West" (primary school that won a naming contest) [cite web
url=http://forums.vicsig.net/viewtopic.php?p=98
title= X'Trapolis train names
work=Vicsig Forums
publisher=forums.vicsig.net
accessdate=2008-03-14] , "Don Corrie" (deceased railway employee) [cite web
url=http://www.vicsig.net/?id=101&page=news
title=XTrapolis unit 38 named Don Corrie after the Epping foreman that passed away in April 2004
work=VICSIG - News
publisher=www.vicsig.net
accessdate=2008-03-14] "Flash", "Flinders Flyer", "Iramoo" (primary school that won a naming contest), "Melbourne Rocks" , and "Westernport".

In July 2007 the Victorian Government announced that Alstom was one of two companies invited to bid to build 10 new six-car trains for the existing network. Siemens was the other company, and both were limited to supplying trains that were the same as those already supplied to Melbourne. $360 million was budgeted for the new trains. [cite web
url=http://www.dtf.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/newmedia.nsf/bc348d5912436a9cca256cfc0082d800/b679ee3afb35423dca25731a007af14a!OpenDocument
title=TENDER FOR NEW TRAINS ON MELBOURNE TRACKS
work=Media Release: MINISTER FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT
date=July 16, 2007
publisher=www.dtf.vic.gov.au
accessdate=2008-08-10] The Department of Infrastructure found that the new trains would deliver less than one additional peak-hour service across the entire network, and had initially lobbied the Government to buy 20 six-carriage trains. [cite web
url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/melbourne-buying-fewest-new-trains/2007/10/02/1191091114736.html
title=Melbourne buying fewest new trains
work=The Age
date=October 3, 2007
author=Stephen Moynihan
publisher=www.theage.com.au
accessdate=2008-08-10]

In October 2007 the tender was extended to 18 six-car trains costing $630 million, to be delivered by 2010. [cite web
url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/10/2055591.htm
title=New trains for Melbourne's congested rail network
work=ABC News
date=October 10, 2007
publisher=www.abc.net.au
accessdate=2008-08-10] The tender was awarded to Alstom in December 2007 and the trains will be delivered in a staged roll-out from late 2009. [cite web
url=http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/newmedia.nsf/bc348d5912436a9cca256cfc0082d800/7180e6f43c8354ecca2573ba0080658e!OpenDocument
title=18 MORE TRAINS ORDERED FOR METROPOLITAN RAIL SYSTEM
work=Media Release: MINISTER FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT
date=December 21, 2007
publisher=www.legislation.vic.gov.au
accessdate=2008-08-10]

References

External links

* [http://www.transport.alstom.com ALSTOM Transport]
* [http://www.transport.alstom.com:80/home/Products_and_Services/RAIL_VEHICLES/Passenger_trains/Urban_trains/com_train/7631.EN.php?languageId=EN&dir=/home/Products_and_Services/RAIL_VEHICLES/Passenger_trains/Urban_trains/com_train/ X'Trapolis official site at ALSTOM Transport]
* [http://trenes.4t.com/pasajeros/xtrapolis/ X'Trapolis Train Photos at Gran Valparaiso (in Spanish)]