If it ain't broke, don't fix it? Australia won't stop building this train!

[@robmcfarlane3602]

Single lining the Bendigo line was the most single handed most stupid decision in the history of Victoria's railways.

[@Charlizzie]

Well, that's the Murdoch effect.

[@Gert-DK]

Yeah, but if it is the price for renovating the track, maybe the idea ain't that bad.

[@qjtvaddict]

@@Gert-DKcapacity got wrecked

[@Gert-DK]

@@qjtvaddict That's obvious. But if the tracks wasn't renovated, it could result in huge speed restrictions. Another matter, is a higher capacity needed?

[@xr6lad]

@@Charlizzie??? It was Labor mate. I know people hate to admit it.

[@QazzyTransport]

6:42 Slight correction here - for services to Albury, newer models are used as this line is on standard gauge track - These trains have power outlets and a buffet car. Overall great video!

[@JuliansTrainsandGames]

Hi Qazzy

[@peterflanagan6471]

The original plan was for loco-hauled and buffet cars to be used on all journeys longer than 4 hours (Melbourne to Bairnsdale, Albury, and Swan Hill). N class locos are now life expired, as are their carriages (N-sets). So have to upgrade the railmotors to provide the buffet service. May be it is time for a substantial upgrade to comfort levels.

[@davidselby-smith5982]

How do you access the buffet car given if you have a 6 carriage service you can not move from the 1st 3 cars to the back 3 carriages when the train is in motion, or is this service only a 3 car service?

[@Simon-Andersen]

Thanks! I wasn't aware of that one, but at least they did something different for that line :D

[@mikevale3620]

@@davidselby-smith5982 Reserved seating is allocated first in the section with a buffet car. If you book your seat late...or not at all, bad luck. I don't agree with the situation but that's what happens when Department of Transport bureaucrats who don't use the system order the trains from Alstom.

[@waynej747]

That $10.60 is the daily maximum adult fare for the whole states public transport network. If you were to continue on to other regional areas like Geelong or Bairnsdale, or even just use the Melbourne public transport network (train, tram or bus), you wouldn’t pay a cent more. We love to complain about our public transport system here in Victoria, but the fact that we can travel anywhere in the state, and only pay a maximum of $10.60 ($5.30 for seniors) per day is a pretty good deal. It wouldn’t surprise me if they don’t announce some sort of refurbishment program in the next few years for some of the older rolling stock, to keep the Dandenong factory open for a few more years. At some point the older units are going to need an overhaul, and there’s no reason they cannot add some modern features like USB charging whilst it’s “in the shop”.

[@mark123655]

It's ridiculously cheap for long distance rail (even cheaper vs China). Almost every other country has fares that are proportional to distance. But it also means that the regional railways lose a boatload of money so investing in upgrades and expansion, let alone considering high speed rail is difficult.

[@74_pelicans]

It's cheap. Before 2014 when you had to buy z1+z2 a daily z1-2 was $12. 10 years later it's still cheaper.. If you can afford to live in a zone 1 suburb, you can cope with the increase.

[@waynej747]

@@mark123655 the current state government (under a different leadership) decided that it wasn’t fair that those living in regional areas were being penalised with higher public transport fares, whilst having to put up with an inferior service when compared to those living in the Melbourne area. So the decision was made to apply Melbournes daily fare cap to the entire state. As a result patronage on the regional lines has increased, with many Melbournians taking the opportunity to visit regional areas and those in the regions travelling to Melbourne more often. This can only be a good thing long term for the rail network.

[@gold3084]

The capped fare is even cheaper on the weekend and public holidays; 30% cheaper.

[@richlawrence4160]

But not complete, for example, travelling beyond Ararat, changes to Vline bus which does not use the same ticket, has an extra fee and the Vline journey planner can't tell you what the fee is. Also the Miki ticket system does not work beyond even shorter limits, so have to go to a premium ticket station and buy it over the counter. Very confusing. Poor service too, with only 2 trips each way per day, about an hour slower than driving and inconvenient transfer to bus, due to the distance between the train and bus stations. Like who designs this mess? I also think the lines are different gauges for some reason.

[@nathandunnn]

The one you were one was in fact the first built. Would be interesting to do a comparison with the most recent builds! Also, you are 100% correct about the single track, it is about the worst decision ever made in Australia's history and as a result the Bendigo line is running right on capacity and any slight delay (which happens a fair bit) can be catastrophic.

[@SilverMe2004]

lol 'worst decision ever' how about all the lines they closed?

[@nathandunnn]

@@SilverMe2004 Which (for the most part) were totally uneconomical at the time and served next to no one

[@coasterblocks3420]

I’d say the worst decision in Australian rail history was shutting down and ripping up the south coast-Tweed rail line from Beenleigh, which went to the actual beach at Southport and Tweed Heads. Only to be partially rebuilt inconveniently in the hinterland at enormous expense a few decades later.

[@wmcapriceforum]

I've seen a set 1100/1300/1200, which I assume came before 1101/1301/1201.

[@nathandunnn]

@@wmcapriceforum Nope. They started with VL01 up to VL40, then VL41 with one of the crash damaged cars from VL29. VL00 was built after VL41 I believe and entered service as a 2 car set in 2010. It was also the last one to gain a 3rd car.

[@simonwood6932]

The Velocity train programme has basically been used by successive Victorian state governments as a job continuance scheme so that Bombardier and now Alstom would keep their factory in Dandenong in outer Melbourne open. I expect there has been little desire by either VLine or Bombardier/Alstom to spend any more than the minimum needed to keep the production line running, so the sensible improvements you suggested such as power sockets, reclining seats etc wont be a priority.

[@mark123655]

But it's almost a perfect circular program. The factory is so small that they can only push out a few a year, and should be continuously working.. ergo you should be gradually upgrading over the lifetime of a design.

[@realjohnboxall]

Ditto trams.

[@jonathantan2469]

Some of the newer trains have tray tables. These however, are too small for a laptop. And... they are made of hard rigid steel that tapers to the edge. If the tray table is down in the case of sudden braking, or a crash... the unlucky passenger's torso will be forced into the 'guillotine blade'. Now imagine the tray table down with a child seated at neck-level... and there's a stuck truck on the level crossing...

[@Kajifox]

@@jonathantan2469 If you mean 76-92? Aluminium. Cast aluminium designed to break at the base. 98 onward use the old Palmer seats, for a deeper more comfortable seating position, with all seats given a tray table. Also the train weighs 150-300t compared to the truck's 36. The kid is gonna get a red mark on their neck. Don't be so dramatic.

[@mikevale3620]

Recently returned from Thailand and the cheapest fare to travel almost 600Km from Bangkok to Udon Thani in 3rd class is AU$12.00. I'd say that V/Line fares are even cheaper than 3rd class, non-airconditioned trains in Thailand. We cannot complain there are no charging ports at the extremely cheap fares by V/Line.

[@isaacrawlings1651]

I believe the reason for only part of the train having tray tables is due to the fact that this being an early model it was originally a two car set and those didn’t have tray tables. Later on all VLocity trains were upgraded to three car sets and the new centre cars all had tray tables.

[@TrueBelievers]

There is a subset of the Vlocity train design for longer distance but however only exists on the Albury line. It has built in USB chargers, shared tables, catering options, etc. However they are not expected to build any more of that particular design.

[@davidblowe9096]

and they are noisy and uncomfortable after Seymour

[@Alpha-oo8]

Are they the ones with the buffet?

[@TrueBelievers]

​@@Alpha-oo8yes that's the v/locity with the buffet carriage.

[@MonikerfkYT]

They are not set up for long distance. The catering is rarely open for service. The seats are worse than metro trains.

[@xr6lad]

Poorly designed trains that are basically tricked up suburban seating crammed together. And Who thought designing a train that is not walk through end to end but in two sections was a great idea? With a buffet in one section so 50% of the load can’t access?

[@gkid64]

In South Australia we have a modified version of this train for our electrified metropolitan lines the interior is completely different

[@mattygeorge7029]

The new built VLocity sets have tray tables in all seats. Interesting video! Always good to see an outsider perspective on Victorian trains.

[@coasterblocks3420]

Count yourself lucky that you actually have regional services with modern trains. In Queensland, apart from the two now 25yo electric tilt trains and the three 21yo diesel tilt trains, we have a mere thirty clapped out 40-45yo diesel hauled stainless steel carriages, running to a mere fraction of network and stations that exists in our vast state.

[@Never2Late8]

Yeah, I can't believe that in 2024, there's no train between Brisbane and Toowoomba.

[@qjtvaddict]

Those are tourist trains not serious ones and they serve very small communities. However the tilt trains should be replaced by HSR like Shinkansen anyway

[@adro894]

A Ballarat to Geelong connection would be great. Also Melbourne-Mildura is sorely needed

[@gusdrivinginaustralia6168]

Would many use it?

[@adro894]

@@gusdrivinginaustralia6168 yes I think so, build it they will come

[@phoenix.00]

They did! The Mildura line existed for passenger rail until 1993, when it was closed alongside the Leongatha line. It's still operational, but only for freight.

[@jamesbradley7306]

Fair assessment. I'm not sure where else in the English speaking world there has been a similar renaissance in medium distance rail. And fleet standardisation makes sense - though it's worth asking the bi-mode question.

[@pjcannon64]

Loco-hauled services only run from Bendigo to Swan Hill, not to Echuca. The Echuca runs are always a 3-car VLocity consist, unless it is a heritage train run by a third party provider.

[@LIMUSBEAN]

What a great service! My early roots being VIC and some of my family still there, you can get on a train from Swan Hill (top of the state), go all the way to Melbourne, coast around for the day and train back in the same day, same ticket. That’s amazing compared to over here in SA, if you’re rural you’re lucky if you’ve got an expensive, inconvenient, likely overnight bus service just to get to the capital

[@bigdude101ohyeah]

From what I understand, the tray tables are a newer design than the oldest sets, so they'll often only have tray tables in the middle carriage. The Standard Gauge V/Locity (which are used for Albury trips) is slightly better, having USB charging, tray tables (as well as shared tables) and a dining car. The newest Broad Gauge V/Locity has more comfortable seats with a better tray table design, though they still use the interurban layout of the one you rode. Supposedly they still have some commonality with the 1940s Budd RDC (like pretty much all other Australian DMUs), though I doubt there's part interchangeability. With that being said, at least it's not a CAF Civity, like what New South Wales went with.

[@MorrisHillmanProductions]

In my personal opinion, NSW (where I've lived my entire life) should have purchased standard gauge VLocities as replacements for the XPT.

[@ray2208aus]

@@MorrisHillmanProductionswith an electric bimodal module would have been great use of Australian industry. Better still have capability for future add on for 25kv.

[@Shermos]

​​@@MorrisHillmanProductionsThat would be almost as much of a downgrade as the bi mode trains NSW selected.

[@spdfatomicstructure]

@@MorrisHillmanProductionsif the NSW government did buy the VLocity though, would the trains have sleeper carriages for the nightly runs between the three state capitals?

[@MorrisHillmanProductions]

Maybe.

[@jodij2366]

Having taken a decent number of similar trips throughout Australasia, it is interesting to make various comparisons. Firstly, Bendigo to Melbourne is a similar comfort level to trips of a comparable time length in Australia - try sitting in an H Set (OSCAR) from Newcastle to Sydney and you'll see what I mean. Basically the comfort level is going to be the same, regardless of whether your trip is Bendigo to Melbourne, Lithgow to Sydney or Nambour to Brisbane. Secondly, it is interesting comparing the Australian trips with the two similar length services in New Zealand (Capital Connection and Te Huia) - both those services not only have cafe cars but have full liquor licenses (I've bought a Jack Daniels on Te Huia before!) The VLos did a good job in improving patronage on the medium haul VLine services (Ballarat and Geelong to Melbourne) and I do think a mistake was made in pushing them for the longer haul services - either they needed a different interior, or different stock altogether.

[@simonc5624]

You'll be interested to know the EOI and tender for the new 18 (poss 22) set Tri-mode trains for the lower North Island (Wairarapa Line and Manawatu Line to Palmerston North) replacing the current Wairarapa Line and Capital Connection Services in the late 2020s, will be a standardised fleet so as the Wairarapa Line services are shorter, will not have a cafe car on any of the sets. Hopefully at the very least, like I observed on Nordland Line regional trains in Norway, and also now see on the brand new version of the Austrian Railjets, there will be drink and food snack outlets and Coffee machines, and like these V Line trains, water fountains. It should be noted that even the current Wairarapa Line carriages have a vending machine for drinks and snacks. So there will be no more JDs on the Capital Connection, unless you bring your own!

[@qjtvaddict]

Those lines needed to be high speed like UK intercity

[@ianmynard431]

i love these trains.. i grew up on victorian trains in the 1960\70 and these are just so much more effective.. we need more of them

[@shawnd-v1660]

The only trains with freely reversible seating is up here in Sydney

[@Simon-Andersen]

I am under the impression that most of the regional rail in Australia has reversible seating. XPT, Tilt train, Transwa units etc :-)

[@andrews_trains_125]

⁠​⁠@@Simon-Andersennot the Tilt Train as they fixed not reversible seats but instead they turn them around at Balloon Loops or the Via Central Station or Normanby Loop in Brisbane they use the Balloon loops at their Destinations

[@DounutCereal]

So the set you were on is the very very first set, VL01, the tray tables are part of the later builds interior design, which the middle 1300 series cars were a part of so it has the tray tables while the two end cars (1100 and 1200 series). When they got to the second order of VL42 to VL51 they started adding the middle cars starting at VL41 and working back, as well as ordering a single 2 car set built to second series spec and called it VL0, (1200-1100). So the train you were on has the widest build date between the two end cars and the middle car, 2004 to 2016ish as it was the second last to get a middle car. Though VL1 wasn’t the first set to enter service, VL11 or 12 was the first in service in late ‘04 or ‘05, I forget exact numbers off the top of my head. There is a third series V/locity with mich more prominent design changes for longer distance runs like Albury and eventually Warrnambool with a restyled cab, wider doors for wheelchair access and as far as I know they are fitted out for onboard power outlets as well as a vending machine as food is required for any services over 3 or so hours as a part of regulations. Now that they have over 100 sets they have run out of the 11xx - 13xx - 12xx numbers and have moved up a leading digit to 21xx - 23xx - 22xx so if you see any in that number block they should have slightly nicer amenities inside and it would be interesting to see a comparison video of them if you do end up getting one of the newer sets

[@OnkelJajusBahn]

Wow, these water fountains in the train are such a cool idea. I love it.

[@soulsphere9242]

The drinking fountains almost didn't happen, but there was an outcry when they were initially to be omitted from the design.

[@OnkelJajusBahn]

@@soulsphere9242 Oh, very interesting. So drinking fountains already have been part of earlier models?

[@soulsphere9242]

@@OnkelJajusBahn Yes, at least on Victorian regional and long-distance trains. The Sprinter railcars built in the 90s have them and the N class locomotive hauled carriages from the 80s (both still in service) have them. I do believe earlier Victorian locomotive hauled carriages also had them, but I will need to dig that info up to confirm...that has got me interested actually.

[@daveacbickford]

Great to have you in Australia Simon, hope you'll ride a few regional Australian trains. I used to catch the V/Line a bit from Geelong to Melbourne when I lived in Geelong for a year in 2007, at the time when the trains were new they were good...seems they've not done much since to keep up 😜

[@Simon-Andersen]

Thanks Dave, have a few more videos coming from Australia over the coming months :-)

[@daveacbickford]

Fantastic mate, I got my brother onto your channel too - he's a driver of the Countrylink XPT trains so he's loving your overseas content, and now you're in Oz!

[@TheLostProbe]

1:55 fun fact: the VLocities are theoretically capable of going as fast as 210 km/h. this also applies for the Tilt Trains in Queensland

[@DaleDix]

You might have to replace the engines and transmission with some that would do that. Plus it would need to be electrified.

[@interflugOz2]

Overall they are comfortable to ride on but they definitely need upgrading by adding charging outlets, tray tables, window blinds, and WiFi.

[@JacksVictorianTrains]

They are not comfortable, the seats are rock fucking hard. i dont know what you are on about

[@gab_v250]

One thing I'm amazed from Australia is that it has three different track gauges in the same country (narrow 1067mm, standard 1435mm, and broad 1600mm)

[@markfryer9880]

That sad state of affairs came about prior to Federation (1901) when the three Eastern States chose a different gauge thanks to their engineers coming from different places in the UK. There might also have been a change in plans by NSW to go ahead with Standard Guage and not let Victoria know in time before equipment was ordered. This all happened in the 1800s. Interesting fact is that Ned Kelly the Bushranger had worked for some timber mills supplying sleepers for the railway tracks working their way through Victoria. Ned could see that the Victoria he had grown up with was changing and so were the opportunities for bushmen to hide in the bush.

[@normandiebryant6989]

Victoria "nationalised" its rail from early private companies first and, in consultation with the NSW engineers, decided Australia would go with Irish Broadgauge (1600mm). After Victoria had laid hundreds of miles of tracks, there was a change of government in NSW and they started laying their tracks using Standard Gauge (1435) because it was slightly cheaper, though less stable. QLD adopted narrow gauge because Brisbane was hilly and tracks had tighter curves and they had no money for even Standard gauge.

[@rais1953]

Western Australia has narrow gauge due to long distances and limited funding at the time they were built. But the line to the eastern states has been made standard so trains come straight through from the east.

[@jonathantan2469]

That's because historically we were separate sovereign states before Federation. Had Federation not occured, we would be separate nations today, with border disputes. Even the signalling rules and rail engineering standards are different between states. A rail signalling engineer certified to design systems in VIC cannot to to QLD to work there... without oversight by a QLD-certified rail signalling engineer.

[@qjtvaddict]

@@jonathantan2469😂looks like you can use maglev

[@tdb7992]

Oh wow, you're in my country. I used to catch that train a lot, but in those days (2014) the 05:55am train would only take about 1hr and 20 minutes. And yes those trains are. bit crap! Intercity trains in Australia aren't very good, which is why we all love visiting Europe and Asia to ride trains there. They are very cheap though.

[@andrewphillips9391]

Those seats look more comfortable than those on most long distance trains here in the UK...

[@andrewhighriser9531]

News of your trains with 'ironing board seats' has reached around world.

[@christine7379]

Got a kick out of seeing you pass through my home town of Sunbury where we have both Vline and Metro trains. I’ll be trying Swedish trains mid-year.

[@robertbrazier5097]

I literally took the Bendigo line home from work yesterday. Woodend to Riddells Creek

[@JRBRailstuff]

V/Line do have a longer distance version of the V'Locity train running on the Albury line that has a buffet fitted. As for trains to Warrnambool, they are all locomotive hauled (for now), but will eventually get the long distance V'locity trains. What other trains do you plan to travel on while you're here?

[@Simon-Andersen]

Ah cool did not know about the other versions on the Albury line. Not that many trains as i was only in Australia for a short time, but HST V-set in Sydney and the locohauled out to Bendigo :-)

[@NaClSandwich]

If you ended up on one of the really old vlines this train would look like pure unabashed luxury :D :D

[@davidblowe9096]

They went for a one size fit's all so a regional train arriving at Souther Cross can be turned into a commuter service except on the standard gauge Albury service.

[@JRBRailstuff]

Also, for services beyond Seymour, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo etc, you need a paper ticket - these journeys are reserved seats only. If you plan to travel in New South Wales on the Sydney network, there are 2 operators - Sydney trains, which handle suburban trains, and New South Wales trainlink, which operate interurban, intercity, regional and interstate services. The intercity services from Sydney to Kiama, Newcastle, Lithgow, Bathurst, Maitland and Goulburn run services with non reserved seating and fares are paid with an Opal card (New south wales version of a Myki). The regional services operated by Xplorer and XPT trains; the XPT being the Australian variant of the UK Intercity 125 HST (Sydney to Melbourne, Casino, Grafton, Brisbane, Broken Hill, Armidale, Moree) are reserved seats only.

[@Simon-Andersen]

Thanks for the info! I took both the XPT and some of the NSW train link trains, which will feature on the channel at some point in the future :D

[@TheMelbournelad]

The new versions of these are great. Finally installed usb and trays in back of all seats now, not just “first class”. The new dinning cars are amazing. Foldable table and again usb outlets everywhere

[@astroboy4653]

For warnable and albury they use diffirent types of seats.

[@mikevale3620]

I love your spelling of Warrnambool! 🤣

[@richlawrence4160]

I found the time tables for the outer cities are designed for commuters into Melbourne, and not suitable for day trip out, as cant get back on the same day. Not that frequent either, with low trains per hour rates even within Melbourne Metro. An obvious design issue is the fixed sets with no passenger corrodor between them, so this makes it difficult to add a buffet to a train that can be accessed by all passengers when the train formation alters from 2. 6 or 9 cars to accommodate variable passenger capacity at peak times. Another example of a good idea buggered by short sighted and cheaper solutions.

[@hoystyler]

6:02 there are power points, I've seen them where that black rectangle is below the bicycle storage area. Don't know if live, but.

[@Simon-Andersen]

I meant more in the sense of them being generally avail to passengers and not sporadic in odd locations :-)

[@krzysztofkolodziejczyk4335]

removing one track to allow better clearance? so there was no clearance before? trains just scraped stuff while passing? such a weird argument.

[@nielsjrgenkruse7307]

Perhaps to allow a larger loading gauge.

[@xtrapolis954m]

At higher speed, the kinematic envelope increases. There was sufficient room at 130, but not 160.

[@FloydBromley]

@@xtrapolis954mso the obvious thing to do would be to limit the speed to 130 in the tunnel and keep the two tracks? Plenty of other places with lower speed limits.

[@richlawrence4160]

I think that means that the minimum radius on curves had to be increased and/or the camber of the track had to increase, so where the line curved under road bridges and in cuttings etc., the larger radius did not fit as double track. So it was to reduce the cost of the upgrade by eliminating associated infrastructure changes, cheaper option selected. A common issue with the metro upgrades, some of the new stations like Nunawading have lost the space for the third express passing rail, and some of the road over bridges were narrowed, like Bayswater, 3 lanes each way changed to 2 lanes each way when they removed the rail/road level crossing.

[@TheDemocrab]

@@richlawrence4160 You can see this on the nearby Ballarat line, it was always only single track with passing sections usually at the stations and when it was upgraded to 160km/h operation they had to buy a lot of land and do a lot of earthworks just to straighten out the curves, and at least one instance where they had to run a new corridor adjacent to the old one thanks to a heritage bridge that wasn't feasible to modify to fit the new requirements, so today you've got two adjacent road bridges over two adjacent rail cuttings only one of which is actually connected to anything.

[@reubenab6005]

Used to live in Bendigo and some frequently travel there. Just a few things to note; Sunbury is pronounced Sun-bree, Kyneton (Kine-ten) and Gisborne (Giz-ben). Also VLocities come in a range but are generally very similar. They can go 225kph but they only operate at 160kph. The single track was as you mentioned stated it be “to avoid side swiping on bridges” but many people weren’t and still are not convinced because the heritage bridge at Malmsbury is still dual track. I believe the tables are only in the ‘quiet carriage’. The VLocities are very similar because they are very popular with the public and are generally pretty good (Built locally, designed in Aus based off another Aus regional train. The VLocities are very overused I will not disagree, they were designed for inter urban service to Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong & Traralgon but have recently been used on lines that should be electrified (Sunshibe to Melton and Wyndam Vale). Overall really loved the research about their history and fair review.

[@liampog3]

subury is NOT pronounced sun-bree mate its sub-bur-ee

[@reubenab6005]

@@liampog3 who on earth says sub-bur-eee never heard anyone say it like that

[@robmcfarlane3602]

Yep to avoid the side swiping issues on bridges and in tunnels all they had to do was reduce speeds.......what did they do.......took out track the idiots.

[@liampog3]

@@reubenab6005 sun bury who the hell says sunbree its not even spelt like that

[@Charlizzie]

He reads the places as it's literal, not Australian so leave the Danish rail vlogger alone, mate.

[@UnbelievableEricthegiraffe]

Well done with the pronunciation of the stations at 10:03, Malmsbury, my Great Grandmother was from the town in Wiltshire, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 it was named after, Great Video I believe that model of train is also used in Dublin 🇮🇪 ,They seem to need lots of regular maintenance.

[@bushranger51]

Yeah he buggered up Kyneton though at the beginning.

[@JRBRailstuff]

Come to think of it, I’m not sure if he pronounced Macedon station correctly? He said “Mace-don” and not “Mass-e-don” (similar to how you would pronounce Macedonia)

[@Simon-Andersen]

I think i messed up most of them up tbh. But it is hard to figure it out in English when you have no prior knowledge of how to say these towns.

[@morantaylor]

20 years old, the comeng commuter trains were introduced in 1981 and I still ride them into the city......

[@Kajifox]

alright, tray tables? You asked! And while I'm at it, I'll tell you a lot of things you didn't ask! They were initially added in the new centre carriages to allay concerns of commuters who wanted them, after the N sets started to be replaced on Geelong runs with VLocity units. So there's a few only, for folks who wanted to use laptops. this continued through the updated sets (up to #40) and onto the second order (up to 52). 52 to 75 were all basically the same design. A couple got odd little experiments fitted, like little side tables and one got a temporary table in a 4 seat section but these were mostly reversed, except for one set which kept little side tables near the fold down seating in the DMD (East end) unit only. Units 76-79 (which were designed as commuter sets) got updated, upright, tighter-pitched seats; they have cast aluminium tray tables only big enough to use a '2 in 1' on. You don't really lose any leg room but you're seated much more upright -- it's not especially comfortable. 76 to 79 also lost their bike racks (luggage racks) and a toilet. those three are not great sets to be stuck on frankly. 80 to 92 continued the uncomfortable seats, but got bike racks, and a second toilet back. 93-98 are standard gauge; they have USB power to every seat, tray tables for every seat and a cafe bar amidships with larger mobility seating areas and additional bike rack. No adjustable back, but back to the original deeper recline Palmer seats. They run exclusively (for now) to Albury. It's worth noting that cafe bars may end up in more VL units; they are internally a preasssembled module that can be fitted through the middle doors (albeit with some difficulty) to be installed after construction. 99 onwards get 2 bike racks but have a versatile area able to be used for luggage or mobility with a sideways seat behind the non-mobile toilet. They have better accomodating mobility areas with a power point, one power point accessible in general seating at the west end of the middle carriage, every seat has the older style adjustable depth tray tables, and they keep the more accomodating crew spaces that started from about unit 80. Other updates that have come in include AEDs to all units, better, LED lighting (it fails less, it lights more and with less heat) and changes to heating and air conditioning. It's notable that window seats are cooler on these trains than a lot of others, as the window seat gets air conditioning flow down the glass. In my experience, VLs are less likely to have failed aircon than anything else that came before in the fleet, are more comfortable (and certainly quieter than) sprinters, our only other DMU, and are less likely to have a failure necessitating they be taken out of service overnight waiting to come back from a regional destination. I prefer N sets, but that's a personal preference. Albury customers in particular were by and large happy to get rid of the "red rattlers", as they called them.

[@Simon-Andersen]

Thank you for the detailed information! It's very interesting and helpful for understanding the slightly confusing variations of the velocities, especially for a Dane like myself who’s not too familiar with V/Line (I tried my best to research!).

[@Kajifox]

No hassle. Good information is sketchy, glad I could help!

[@PiersDJackson]

@1:52 - the numbers mean things, as 1101-1301-1201 or VL01 it's the second set in order, the 11xx vs 12xx just means they're the opposing driving cabs of the set. Of the originals VL00-VL40 were updated to 3VL configuration with the addition of the 13xx carriage in the middle. However sets 93 to 98 are classed as VS93-VS98, differing in being the version 1.2 (1.1 being 3 car sets), with the substitution of a 13xx carriage for the 15xx carriage with a buffet (also only on the standard gauge). From the 100th set onwards the numbering jumps to 21xx etc.

[@soulsphere9242]

VL01 is actually the first set. VL00 was a replacement for VL29, which had one of its cars written off and scrapped. At the start of the 3VL order they built an extra driving cab car and paired it up with the surviving car from VL29 to make VL00.

[@GeoffSmithwick]

Pretty sure I seen Vlocity train design pictures in brochures from 1999. One day vlocitys will be the only type of regional train operating in Victoria except for interstate.

[@jdillon8360]

USB outlets are available on the standard gauge sets that travel to Albury. It would be nice to see that feature installed across the whole fleet that's for sure.

[@nashorn9745]

There is a verry similar thing happening in Switzerland with the RABe 523 FLIRT trains. These trains where build for local services stopping every few minutes verry light and have good starting and stopping performance. The first ones were delivered in 2004 and some of the first ones were scraped by 2010 after problems with the floor where found. The ride quality is quite bad and the seats suck. Until 2016 these trains operated local services only the longest being 2 H long. They lack many basic amenities like outlets and sunshades each train has one verry unreliable toilet if it is broken you have no toilet. In 2016 one a competitor of SBB won a new contract and made a variant of this train for regional services. This variant does have all the basic amenities like tables, outlets and eight toilets, they have doors between cars and look very nice. They have still quite bad ride quality and seats but are fine. Then SBB goes and makes an Intercity variant the only thing they changed from the local variant was they removed one door in each car. Be assured you can pay 200$ for a bumpy first class ride on seats other budget operators like ouigo wouldn't put in second class.

[@DodoGTA]

0:36 Did you visit Cashies though?

[@Simon-Andersen]

no

[@BigBlueMan118]

NSW have ordered new trains that can run on the overhead power lines and then switch the diesel when they get to the edge of the electrified network. This works well for NSW which has electrified lines for significant portions of their regional network out of Sydney, including all the 2 hour trip to Newcastle, the 2h trip over the Blue Mountains, the 90min trip down past Wollongong almost to the end of the NSW South Coast line except the final section to Nowra, and the 35min trip to Macarthur of the South line to Canberra and Melbourne. This could be a pretty good idea for the Victorian lines that currently use significant sections of electrified line (Seymour/Shepparton line to Craigieburn and LaTrobe/Gippsland line to Pakenham), as well as potentially future electrification extensions westwards to Melton and Geelong.

[@tcpnetworks]

Would be fantastic having Mildura connected by rail.

[@malcolmmoore6848]

The fundamental problem with HSR is that the rail gauge of 1435 mm is far too narrow (as the rail cars a 3040 mm in width) - so the trains have to follow a (very expensive) virtual straight line - or tip over! This is a classic “5 Monkey Experiment” scenario - “we have always done it (incorrectly) that way”!! The so-called “Standard” rail gauge is only 1435 mm (which was actually engineered for 5’ width (mining) rail cars - and not for 8’ 0” rail cars! Brunel (in the CE 1830 - 40s) came up with a 7’ 0” rail “Broad” gauge that was perfect for 8’ 0” width rail cars - as this was far more stable and far larger load capacity (and lower maintenance) than the narrower gauges! All hell broke loose and Stephenson eventually pressed the UK Parliament for the “UK Standard Rail Gauge Act” CE 1846 to deliberately / deceptively eliminate Brunel’s excellent “Broad” gauge competing with his then commonly used “standard” gauge. In the CE 1920-30s Train cars became even wider to 10’ 0” (3040 mm) - and far more unstable as they were still using “Standard” gauge (1435 mm) that was less than half the width (3040 mm) of the cars. Would you drive road car with an 1800 mm width that has barely an 850 mm wheel gauge? No! Well only in a straight line!! The correct rail gauge for 3040 (10’ 0”) rail cars is 2540 mm (8’ 4”) “Wide” gauge rail! With this “Wide” gauge, these rail cars will be very stable and the HSR “Wide” rail lines do not have to be dead straight (as per HSR using the incorrect “Standard” Gauge rails)! This correctly engineered “Wide Gauge” rail line in Australia can then be applied for about 90% of the way using the pre-existing rail easements at a small fraction of the cost of making completely new rail easements and tracks. WDYT ?! 😊

[@oelrich]

Those loco hauled N class sets you mentioned are vastly superior to the vlocitys, generally much more comfortable

[@mudelta4068]

There were USB ports and seat trays on the Albury service vlocity train I took today. Which was of little consequence from my perspective-sitting on the floor for 3 hours on the 6 car-but still over-crowded-train. I was travelling with a bike, and so were two other passengers, so even though this 6 car train appears to have space for 6 bikes, just 3 broke the bike space capacity, because most of it was taken up by regular luggage. There was plenty of space in the other ovcerhead storage, but people appear to be too lazy to bother and dump them in the bike bays. A little marshalling by the conductor would be helpful here! A very patient mother with I believe 3 children had to get up and clear a pusher from the aisle constantly, as people went to the snack bar, or the conductor passed through. Maybe it's time for more than three services per day along the Albury line? I haven't heard of any plans. Maybe the admittedly very cheap new maximum $10 adult fare anywhere in Victoria inc all the way from Albury-Melb is enough to placate the long suffering users of this north east service for the next decade or two while the latest list of insurmountable problems stymying improvements is replaced with a brand new list of new insurmountable problems more consistent with the emerging realities of Australian public transportation in the 21st century.

[@mikefirth9654]

What I find really missing from this video is any discussion of how smooth the ride is for getting up and walking around from those disparaged seats. And anyone who doesn't carry a back up power supply on a trip really needs to rethink a requirement that cars be rebuilt to ride power at every seat. spend money and raise fares?

[@ronwest7185]

Seats are really uncomfortable and I'm talking about the most recent trains on the Albury run. 40+ yeal old nsw xpt services are much more comfortable, quieter and smoother riding

[@bourkey4682]

The trayback seats would be in the third inserted carriage of the original two car set, this you answered your own question with, a minute or so later, Simon. 🙂

[@EdgyNumber1]

*Missed opportunity to have a bi-modal power system like our trains here on the GWR and the GER lines in the UK.* DEMU mode on the none OLE sections and EMU mode on the OLE sections.

[@soulsphere9242]

There is simply no point. The vast majority of the track length these trains travel is non-electrified.

[@andrewwarcup684]

These units are diesel hydraulic.

[@hoof2001]

The seats are fixed in a recline position which for one I couldn’t use.

[@mikevale3620]

The fold down seats are almost as comfy and are not reclined.

[@nagelixin]

The V/line network needs to be electrified and dual tracked across the entire network.

[@goswannie14]

It will happen eventually.

[@MartintheTinman]

I can't believe they don't have double glazing.

[@joelpackett7582]

I would say by next year these will run the whole network except swan hill(loco hauled) and Seymour but I wouldn’t be surprised if Seymour(ran by sprinter railcars) gets replaced since they do occasionally run Seymour when a sprinter breaks. One thing I would hate to imagine is sitting on a Vlocity for the almost 5 hours it takes to get to swan hill

[@phoenixx5092]

Those sprinter style diesels can actually go much faster, I live near the line where they originally tested them before being used for passenger services. They were meant to be Australias version of Japan's high speed train network. They did a full speed run at one point, where it was discovered that a: they are actually really quiet, at full speed it just sounds like a sudden breeze blowing for a moment as they go by b: the railway crossings activate too slowly or sometimes not at all (they had to upgrade them all) c: it went so fast that the aero covers on the wheels the original design had, which apparently are only held on with velcro tabs, shook lose and fell off. (it was just light honeycomb plastic so nobody was in any danger here) apparently they no longer bother to fit them now.. which given the later developments below is probably not really a surprise, since the purpose for the improved aero was entirely negated. When they were finally approved and the crossings all certified in Gippsland for full express speed... the next thing that happened was some back room deal with politicians or councillers and the city electric train service providers, in all the outer Melbourne suburbs, where they passed a regulation forcing all the high speed trains to travel at speeds slower than the electric ones, rendering the entire high speed rail link upgrade pointless. They managed to up the allowed speed a little possibly years later, and only in the regional areas, but it still left everyone with a bad taste in their mouth over the corruption that led to the situation. I think the current "official" top speed is just the legislated "certified" max speed they are /allowed/ to go, not the speed they are /designed/ to go.

[@jasonh.8754]

I think when Vlocity trains were announced they were supposed to hit 160km/h? But because of the level crossings, they could only reach that speed for only short periods on certain lines?

[@currawongee1]

If you plan on using the Traralgon line the timetable is only a suggestion.

[@JulianSortland]

These chassis turn up elsewhere, such as as the Endeavours with hard suburban seats which Paul (the) Toole expects people in Bathurst to sit on for 4 hours going to or from Sydney, having been designed for the short commute from Newcastle city to the University, as similar short, unelectrified links. The XPL / Xplorer has better seats, but no room for bicycles, thanks to more loos. These have a very few power outlets. Maybe Victoria, as well as NSWs needs a few Class 43 / Intercity125s.

[@jasongarufi8187]

Hi Simon, great video did you get to travel on the XPT while you were in Australia?

[@Simon-Andersen]

I did! Video coming at some point in the future

[@ppTM-transport]

The Albury line runs on standard gauge so they have a tray table at all seat, power at all and also a buffet this is dedicated to the albury line only

[@bernadettemarietavendale7055]

Your Danish 🇩🇰 accent is soothing

[@andrewhighriser9531]

I find the purple VLocity seats very comfortable. But some VLocity's have awful seats, so hard and so uncomfortable and I think they may be blue. Not sure about that. The comfortable seats from retired Sprinter trains need to be refitted into Velocities that have the terrible seats. Great video, btw.

[@deanstyles2567]

Sprinter seats? No thanks, they're the worst on the V/Line fleet. Have to sit forward because of the lack of shoulder room on the seats given how they're shaped.

[@wonkychikn]

I agree with the purple seats in the earlier vlocity trains are really comfortable,but the thin blue trimmed seats in the newer vlocity trains are pathetic.. completely uncomfortable, cheap and nasty.. whoever designed them did a terrible job,and whoever approved they clearly never sat in them!

[@andrewhighriser9531]

@@deanstyles2567 Aren't the purple seats the same as the VLocity seats?

[@andrewhighriser9531]

@@wonkychikn Thanks. Now I get it. Those hard seats are also on some VLocity trains too. So take the purple seats from the Sprinter trains and replace the hard seats on VLocity trains with those seats.

[@deanstyles2567]

​@@andrewhighriser9531 I don't know, it's probably ten years since I was last on a Sprinter.

[@avigdonable]

Rick&Morty went to Bendigo too. But they traveled by car. Good train though.

[@level5rat302]

SIMON IN AUSTRALIA

[@Alexander_Dunn]

8:05 not all trains past bendigo are loco hauled. trains to echuca are vlocities.

[@PwerRanger01]

Just need to boost the speed. half that time or less to get from regional cities to Melbourne.

[@jfmezei]

Technically first contract was signed by AdTranz, but prior to first delivery. Bombardier (RIP) had purchased Adtranz. Bombardier had no presence in Australia before. Importing an Alstom product such as Coradia to Victoria with conversion to broad gauge, Aussie standards and suppliers would cost a lot more than just updating the exiting Vlocity trains. So my guess is that if Alstom bids on more trains for Victoria, it would re-use existing trains rather than bring in its own trains.

[@drdewott9154]

Pretty sure the seats on those trains are the exact same as you'll find on some buses. I'm pretty sure the exact same kind of seat is used on the 600S bus back in Copenhagen.

[@Simon-Andersen]

They did look oddly similar. Come to think of them, i think ive seen them on a xbus in jutland

[@SpencerHHO]

Victoria managed to cling on to aspects of heavy industry and public transport that most other cities in Australia let go of. These trains are made in the state by Alstom, Alstom also make the new metro trains and trams for Melbourne. Part of the reason for the relative austerity is to help with long term viability. The idea being the factory will have a long term pipeline of work to continuously produce these trains for decades keeping costs predictable for all parties and serving as good marketing too. As others have mentioned some of the standard guage variants that run longer trips have more amenities on board. I live east of Melbourne just past warragul. I'm just grateful I have a reliable and affordable rail service close to my property. 90% of rural and regional people don't benefit from rail in Australia. Also that 10.60 is basically the price of a state wide daypass on public transport it's valid for 24 hours across most of the state. It's very heavily subsidised and is part of the reason why people are ok with the Austere trains.

[@timbacchus]

I just love clean windows in trains.

[@angus80w]

At 2:55, the town names are pronounced; "Malms-bry" "Kine-ton" "Mass-eh-don" "Gis-bn" "Sun-bry"

[@indranibd85]

Can you review the vline loco hauled set

[@Simon-Andersen]

@@indranibd85 yes I have it recorded, I just need to edit it at some point 😊

[@indranibd85]

But when will the video come out

[@andrewbutler6477]

The interior of these units is very similar to the interior of our British class 170 units built by the same company

[@TheNthbeach]

In respect, sets being built now should be able be diesel electric hybrid operation. The current mechanical setup is a diesel hydraulic drive. So, when travelling to Seymour, Traralgon, and to an extend Bendigo, they are operating under electric wires, which on some trips would save 100km of diesel running. If the regional rail link was electrified, then services to Melton and Wyndam Vale could be electrified, allowing Ballarat, Geelong & Bendigo services to save significant diesel running, thus reducing the impact. However, they are so heavily invested in this one model to rule them all, that they will continue to have a much higher carbon footprint, when in the urban areas.

[@indranibd85]

Will you ride the vline sprinter

[@Simon-Andersen]

I did not do that on this trip to Australia no.

[@comeng301m]

the only single tracking sectiom that make sense is the malmsbury station & viaduct section as thr viauct is too thin and the station's dock platform is too close to the start of the viaduct to have a junction with the mainline

[@hhgttg69]

seats are comfy. but the lack of power outlets is the biggest fail

[@johncoyle777]

Some lateral thinking is needed. Why not a standard gauge train of five cars that are based on the current V/LOSITY , for a daily Adelaide to Ararat service, with an identical train set on the broad gauge to serve Ballarat and Melbourne? A time saving for passengers of about two hours! The trains would consist of two first class cars a snack bar/lounge car, and two economy class cars.

[@gusdrivinginaustralia6168]

How bad is your phone if you need to charge as soon as you get out? Free wifi ? The next thing would be to complain its not fast enough, dont you have your own connection? A table? Not a long trip to go without. On a roadtrip do you expect a tray table in your friends car?

[@Simon-Andersen]

This is not about what I need. This is about the fact that nearly everywhere else, including less developed nations than Australia, have been producing trains with these features for similar services for the past 10+ years. You use the car argument as a reason why the train shouldn't have a tray table, but it's exactly why it should have one. Why would I take the train if I can just get in my friend's car and have the same experience? One of the main advantages of train travel is that journey time can be productive or more relaxing, especially on long journeys like those on V/Line. Comments like "back in my day we could survive without" and "do you really need a power outlet" are exactly why railways don't evolve and remain a less competitive option. This attitude does nothing but hinder progress.

[@carlramirez6339]

One can argue that the Vlocity design is more than 20 years old, as it is based on the NSW Xplorer design.

[@JRBRailstuff]

And the xplorer was actually based off the Australind train in W.A. Don’t quote me, but they look similar anyway

[@coasterblocks3420]

Queensland needs these to reactivate services between regional cities (rather than having EVERYTHING Brisbane-centric).

[@JRBRailstuff]

@@coasterblocks3420 it would be good to have these for shorted distance services in the Toowoomba region. All they need to do is upgrade the tracks and build new or upgrade existing stations and services run from Toowoomba to Warwick, Toowoomba to Dalby, and assuming if the Lockyer Valley line doesn’t get electrified, possibly a service to Ipswich

[@coasterblocks3420]

@@JRBRailstuff yes, and regular daily services between other major regional cities.

[@pvda64]

the VLocity (Vic), Xplorer, (NSW), NGR (Qld), 4000 (SA) & B Class (WA) are all related.

[@Thesmellofrain-h6o]

Not all cities in North America have poor transportation systems. Denver, Portland & Seattle come to mind. Seattle is still a work in progress but the trains are beginning to reach further into the city. A lot of it is underground.

[@Simon-Andersen]

I am aware, many east cost cities have good system, i had no issues getting around Philly or NYC for instance :D

[@Thesmellofrain-h6o]

@@Simon-Andersen Yes. It’s not all bad when it comes to public transportation in America. Really.

[@neddo_AVAITION]

ahhhhh its been awhile since ive been to Melbourne bendigo is my home city

[@Simon-Andersen]

Hop on the train, its cheap!

[@daleym4955]

So fun fact, these were originally built with no fuel gauge so drivers would have to remember how far the unit had travelled and guess when it was low. So many cases of these running out of fuel

[@Adolphification]

they could've add as simple feature as power outlets....all older passenger cars in indonesia including those built in 1950s n 1960s were modified to carry this feature back in early 2010s.....

[@Alladin-n5j]

Adelaide uses slightly modified version of it

[@jaydenpepperell-finn2011]

As a few have said here, regional rail in Victoria is little more than a political lever for the powers that be in the state of Victoria. The VLocity trains are basic and that is by design. They are designed to be a cheap replacement to other aging rollingstock, but new and fancy looking enough to garner votes. The big push make the whole network the same 20 year old train comes from a place of lowering operational costs, as opposed to a focus on making travel better for Victorians. The removal of the double line between Bendigo and Kyneton was only ever for the purpose of lowering asset maintenance costs, despite them saying otherwise. Upgrades to the design only happen when industry minimum standards are changed and the state government are forced to make changes. You’ll notice VLocity units 80 and onwards have updated crash protection and different front on them. This was inline with a new crash protection standard being implemented. Aside from this, the design remains unchanged. Due to political pressure the Albury line has dedicated VLocity trains with tables and USB charging etc. But this too was a rather force fit awkward venture. There’s never a tender put out for any competition, because they want to keep the manufacturing local in Dandenong. Which is both a good and bad thing. It supports local jobs, but has also been detrimental to the modernisation of the VLocity fleet.

[@themaconeau]

Warrnambool line still has the N train sets still 😬

[@andrewdunbar828]

Kyneton is pronounce "kine tuhn" by the way.

[@Trainsaregreat365]

I didn't know you've been to Australia would they be a Queensland trip

[@richardw1289]

They mighn't be "broken", but they are sooo noisy! I travelled on many DMU and DMUhybrid trains overseas recently. At up to 160kmh. Ours are extremely noisy in comparison and, I find uncomfortable as a consequence.

[@goswannie14]

I think that's because they have diesel motors under each carriage.

[@holboroman]

t would be more correct to say "Victoria" rather than "Australia". Each state is responsible for its own transport system. Great video!

[@goswannie14]

VLocity don't travel to Warnambool...yet.

[@True_NOON]

It is like building voyagers instead of meridians or IETs

[@michaelhusada]

I live on this line and you’re pronouncing all those town names quite different to how locals would.

[@klebdotio3284]

They're honestly not that good. While yes, they are fast, (only half of the time on the bendigo line due to only 1 track being rated for 160km/h. The seats aren't very comfortable, they are noisy inside and especially for long distance, the lack of catering car really makes for an unpleasant journey. The fact vline is phasing out N class locomotives on long distance routes for these interurban trains is really disappointing, for short distance, the extra speed is negligible, while for long distance the lines usually aren't to a high enough standard to run the trains at 160km/h anyway.