S Carriages
Mainland Rail recently purchased seven S Carriages and one Generator Carriage from KiwiRail. The fleet which includes a Café Carriage has a capacity of 390 passengers and were operated by KiwiRail as commuter rail carriages serving the daily Capital Connection route between Palmerston North and Wellington. They were in operation on the Capital Connection route as recently as November 2023 before the move down south. They are currently being refurbished at KiwiRail's impressive new Hillside Workshops in Dunedin.
S Carriage Fleet Details
| Carriage | Fleet Number | Passengers |
|---|---|---|
| Café / Carriage | S3200 | 30 |
| Carriage | S3245 | 60 |
| Carriage | S3207 | 60 |
| Carriage | S3184 | 60 |
| Carriage | S3211 | 60 |
| Carriage | S3190 | 60 |
| Carriage | S3177 | 60 |
| Genset carriage | AG130 | 0 |
| Total Passengers | 390 |
Diesel Multiple Units (DMU's)
The Auckland ADL/ADC Class of Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) railcars originally manufactured by A Goninan & Co were purchased by New Zealand Rail from Transperth of Western Australia when the Perth suburban network was electrified in 1993 and entered service on the Auckland network. In 2002, the Auckland Regional Council funded an upgrade of the class, which included HVAC systems replacements, refurbishment of the interiors and painting in the new blue colour scheme. The first refurbished unit entered service in December 2002, the last in November 2003.
Due to the introduction of the AM class electric multiple unit (EMU) in 2014 on all of Auckland's suburban railway lines, the ADL/ADC units were retained for use between Pukekohe and Papakura station as a shuttle service until 2022 and are still in excellent condition, having been maintained to the highest standards by KiwiRail throughout their commercial service. The Diesel Multiple Units that were recently running on the main northern line between Pukekohe to Papakura during the Rail Network Rebuild (RNR) were held on standby for Auckland One Rail while the track was electrified to make way for the new EMU’s and are now available for redeployment with Mainland Rail on the non-electrified passenger lines in the South Island.
As seen from the photos above the high-quality interior was further improved in 2021 when new carpets were fitted to the 8x in service DMU’s. These can be operated as a 2-car set or coupled as required for peak loadings as a 4 car consist and thanks to the multiple cabs they have been operated as a Push Pull unit while operating in the Auckland Metro fleet under both configurations. The interior layout is as per below (the orange portion represents the doorways and the longitudinal seats at each end are flip up type for wheelchairs and bikes.
DMU Fleet Details
Key information/specifications include:
- This fleet is designed to operate on 3’6” Gauge Rail used throughout the New Zealand network (1067mm)
- The ADL/ADC DMU’s were manufactured by Goninan and Co. Ltd in N.S.W., Australia and operated in Perth until purchased by Akl Transport in 1993yr.
- They were refurbished in 1993/1994 at Otahuhu workshops Auckland and in 2002/2003 by Alstom at Hutt workshops Wellington NZ
- Daily these currently operate 725kms and are only refuelled at the end of each day.
- Main engines are a Cummins NT 855 producing 220 kw at 2000 rpm and drive a Voith T211R transmission
- Engine cooling and HVAC system are mounted on the roof (hence suitable for all temperatures and dusty conditions)
- The ADC trailer car is equipped with a Detroit Series 71 diesel engine coupled to a Stamford alternator to supply 400 / 230V 50Hz AC power to both cars. The DA set provides power for saloon lighting, heaters / fans / air conditioning, power points; 24V DC battery charges in both cars, radiator cooling fans for the ADL and DA set engines an air compressor on the ADC car.
- Saloon Door are equipped with good safety systems and pneumatically operate cavity sliders, enabling generous access for mobility impaired customers, these are currently operated by the guard on each train from a door station.
- HVAC: Cooling capacity: 25KW, Heating capacity: 12KW, Airflow: 4176 m3/h, Power supply 415 Vac 50hz
- Additional general information:
Contact Us
For more information phone +64 (0)3 974 1812 or contact us at info@mainlandrail.com or use the form below.