New local-made trains leave passengers stranded for 45 minutes at Currambine Station in a ‘teething’ issue

Rita Saffioti has admitted that WA’s much-vaunted locally made trains have been plagued by “teething issues”, including one that left commuters stranded for 45 minutes waiting for a replacement bus. The new trains, assembled at the Government’s Bellevue manufacturing facility, have been servicing the Joondalup and Mandurah lines since April, as part of the testing process for the cars. But the Government has admitted the trains have been hit by a “small number of technical issues” since rolling out. In recent weeks, passengers were left stranded at Currambine station for more than half an hour after a new train had a technical issue. The glitch closed the line from Yanchep to Joondalup, and passengers had to wait for replacement buses. “On Friday, August 2, one of the C-series trains experienced a technical issue at Currambine station, and replacement services were organised as quickly as possible,” a PTA spokeswoman said. “We apologise to those who were inconvenienced. The train was made available for services over the weekend. “While the roll-out of the first three trains has been largely smooth, there has been a small number of technical issues, which is not uncommon when launching a new train series.” The PTA spokeswoman said thousands of passengers had experienced a “more modern and comfortable journey” since the new trains were rolled out. “The testing process on the C-series trains has been extensive, and we’re working closely with Alstom to continue to make refinements, including to other trains that are currently in production,” she said. “The next C-series train off the production line and into service is expected in coming months. The delay comes after a video posted on social media last month showed one of the new trains became stuck at Elizabeth Quay station, unable to open its doors. A PTA spokeswoman confirmed in that case there had been “a temporary issue with the platform detection system, which ensures passengers can get on and off the train safely”. “For safety reasons, it defaults to closed. The problem was rectified within a couple of minutes, and the train remained in service without any issues,” she said. Ms Saffioti said the C-Series rollout had been no different to earlier models. “There’s always teething problems whenever you introduce a new series,” she said. “We saw teething problems for the A-Series, the B-Series and the C-Series would be no different, small teething problems, but overall, the performance has been excellent.” Three of the C-Series trains have rolled off the Bellevue facility, with the Government committing to building 246 cars as part of a $1.6 billion replacement program for older trains. Opposition Leader Shane Love said the incidents represented a “concerning trend” for the expensive new trains, which have cost WA taxpayers $1.3b. “The Opposition understands unforeseen circumstances have taken C-Series trains offline on numerous occasions since their launch a few short months ago, and passengers have raised concerns about loud door opening alarms and rapidly shutting doors,” he said. “These issues come on top of massive cost blowouts and delays to many Metronet projects, lengthy line closures impacting thousands of residents, and extensive construction works causing damage and disturbance in Bayswater, Victoria Park and Armadale.”