New-look Western Sydney Airport metro train unveiled

Assembled from a flat pack in a Western Sydney warehouse, the carriage is a full-scale replica that closely mimics the final product in terms of shape, size and design features.  

The mock-up has allowed stakeholders, including transport authorities and manufacturers, to evaluate and finalise aspects of the train design like the interior lighting, emergency features, and passenger information display systems. 

Before production commenced on the 12 new trains this week, engineers and designers utilised the prototype to ensure the layout, materials, and ergonomics meet the intended specifications. 

Representatives from diverse user groups, including people with limited mobility and sensory challenges, were invited to test out the carriage and provided feedback on comfort, usability, and safety - including seat design, boarding experience, and handhold placement. 

Meanwhile, the upholstery design for the train seats has been confirmed, with the seating to feature a specially commissioned artwork by Western Sydney creative team BBR, led by Dharug artist Leanne Redpath, with Tina Barahanos and Alexandra Byrne. 

The artwork called Ngurra Baduwa includes reference to Ngurra (Country) and Badu (water) running through Cumberland Plain, the region where the new 23-kilometre metro line will be located.  

The grey and blue patterns and colours for the general seats are reflective of the night sky, while the priority seats are yellow and tell a daytime story about meeting places around waterholes found through fields of wattle flowers.     

About 2,300 square metres of fabric, equivalent in length to five basketball courts, will be needed to upholster all seats in the 12 trains.    

Once operational, the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport line will have the capacity to move up to 7,740 passengers each hour in each direction between St Marys and Bradfield via Sydney’s new Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport.