History - The XPT (NSW TrainLink)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- The XPT (short for Express Passenger Train) is the main regional train fleet operated by NSW TrainLink, connecting Sydney with Dubbo, Grafton, Casino, Brisbane and Melbourne.
Entering service in 1982, the Express Passenger Train presented a significant step forward in Australian rail travel, and is based off Britain's High Speed Train (HST), also known as the InterCity 125.
The XPT is Australia's equal fastest train in terms of maximum service speed, running at 160 km/h. It ties in this regard with the Tilt Train, Vlocity and Prospector trains. It hold a record speed of 193 km/h and was designed for a theoretical maximum speed of 200 km/h.
Footage by Comeng, CountryLink, 7 News and 9 News. Image at 0:28 by Phil Sangwell from Flickr (CC BY 2.0), 0:32 by Maksym Kozlenko from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) and 0:51 by Kabelleger / David Gubler on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0),
Fantastic video and also introduced me to gangajang, now one of my favourite bands.
Sidenote, the UK versions are at least 40 years old and still routinely operating at 200kph (125mph) and clocking up 1000 miles a day.
You really should listen to Machinations great Aussie 80's band.
who knows, maybe sydney's next gen XPT will finally be able to outpace a narrow gauge train, lol
dan b True, a narrow-gauge train (the Queensland Tilt Train) can meet and even exceed it in speed, albeit that narrow gauge train is one of the world’s best. The speed limitations still are quite disappointing, I agree, but I think that is more a problem of the alignment and quality of track.
nsw xpt is old out dated will never be up graded too expensive to travel in polly ticiansare petty minded when it comes to the xpt
@@sydneyrailbuff Gauge means nothing, there are huge ore trains on 3'6" and potentially 250km/h + passenger trains would be possible.
XPT though the fastest train in NSW would be left behind by a V/Lociity DMU or The Prospector ( I've never been on the latter) and though the Diesel Tilt Train is basically a similar concept to the XPT/HST. It's locos are more powerful.
The Electric Tilter is a completely different train, an EMU, you don't need locomotives & my experience is that any modern EMU, even a suburban one, set to automatically stop the train if the driver, say hits 118 km/h & doesn't respond to alarms, will leave the XPT behind and beat any diesel, after a stop or slow and would have the power to reach 140 km/h or more, quite quickly, if the control settings were changed. I think most modern would be capable of 160 km/h if that was done. @ in britain and Europe, that's normal.
So the Electric tilt train is the fastest, by a considerable margin, (though running @ only 160). Diesel Tiltie, next, very closely followed by those mentioned railcars, that may accelerate faster? Britain's HST would be very close, Higher top speed, but it's not that slow to get going ether, 2 minutes to 130 Km/H usually, not that far behind the modern stuff, which still would not have cracked the ton (160 ) though some like British Rail 700 class really get moving.
XPT is a long way down the track, not slow, but it takes a few minutes of level track to really get going. It's downpowered from the HST, especially the rear loco, that has to provide the electricity for the cars.
Reason, the XPT locos were shorter, to lighten the axle loads & this meant no room for separate diesel alternators for power & they would have added weight.
XPT is now a dated train, compared with with say The Sydney Metro or Adelaide 4000 class. Fit them out for interstate travel, give em some wires & they'd be fine.
But do railfans really want to eat the same thing, every day?
Those new sets are completly walk through. While say, the Southern Aurora, you had to go through 4 narrow doors on each car you walked through, just to keep the train noise outside, where it belongs (railfans will get the joke) & yes, I've met fans arguing over window rights.
That Narrow gauge train you speak of has terrible service.
@@motorcity8558 in what way?
Fantastic trains with a great ride quality, let’s hope you guys keep them running for as long as they have been in the uk
Thanks! They will be running to at least the early 2020s
well HSTS Are going all over the UK So lets hope scotrail and Cross country dont replace them
This is on my playlist idk y
Charlie,s train vids and gaming and tech so brother
It sucks that XPT cant go as fast as it used to. As far as I know it used to go 160km/h almost the whole way, now it only gets to reach that speed on a very small percentage of track. Anyways, nice video!
Thanks for the comment. I've seen a lot of statements claiming that XPT and regional train travel times have actually worsened over the years. I also think investment and upgrades to regional roads hasn't been matched with improving regional railway tracks, making road travel times improve disproportionately to those of rail services. Hopefully the tracks will see some serious upgrades soon. Cheers.
the HST Can go over 160km/h
As can the XPT. Theoretically it can run at 200 km/h. It just doesn't in service, as speed restrictions don't allow it.
There are many level crossings that don't even have warning lights, let alone gates, and history shows that car and truck drivers cannot be trusted to avoid colliding with trains. At higher speeds, there's a serious risk that a collision will derail the train.
Sylvia Else There have been a few instances of XPTs hitting cars, but they’ve held up quite well. Here’s a news report on a 1982 accident where the train continued its journey afterwards:
th-cam.com/video/HkGComqlklQ/w-d-xo.html
The XPTs were nice-looking from the outside to inside
Last time i did a ride was between Orange and Dubbo!🙂😎
I love the XPT
Are they completeley built from scratch with the HST in mind or are they ex UK HST powercars that were imported over to Australia and converted for use on the Australian network?
They were built in Australia but their design was based off the HST. The XPT has some physical differences to the HST power cars, such as being about 45 cm shorter:
www.railpage.org.au/xpt/specs.html
UnexplosiveRailfan thanks, nice video by the way
they were built in Australia but based on the UK HST
@@sydneyrailbuff The front side windows are different on the XPT
@@seansands424 Indeed they are
What is the average speed between Melbourne and Sydney? How to the amenities compare with overseas long distance and sleeper services?
Some travel blogs on TH-cam for the XPT melb Syd.
wasn't there a tilt version? what happened to that??????????
Queensland has a tilt train.
XPT power cars were used to propel a tilting train, the X 2000, for evaluation purposes. There has never been a tilting version of the XPT or HST.
29 CAF Civity train sets have been ordered to replace the xpt, xplorer and endeavour trains
@Endeavour N set sadly true
Is this South Africa
Nah bro this is Australia!
random v set, if you watch this, the se goes to the only roleplay place (which is melbourne). there some more for u :)
at 2:18
I like XPT they fast spee
They should make a standardised gauge Version of the diesel tilt train to replace the xpt
Slow as f&*k. My mate insisted in taking Xpt instead of driving down to Melbourne so i raced his train to flinders station and even slept for 2 hrs and he still didn't arrive
Must've been running late. The XPT has a lot of ability, and to be fair the XPT has to stop at stations and deal with second-grade winding tracks .
UnexplosiveRailfan 300km 3 hours? What a joke.
ozzypresident he Might a Got Killed
what song was used?
"Sounds of Then (This is Australia)"
By goanna.
Steve Perry Actually it was released by the 80’s band Gang gajang
Electric Motive Sounds of then
Better than the modern day shit we are buying. Too bad the rails have been so badly neglected, it isn't possible to hit its natural operating speed of 100-125mph
Ian Faen I guess so, considering the maximum it hits is 100mph, which would be excellent if it could stay at that speed for longer. Regional tracks could really do with some major upgrades, more than just some minor maintenance.
inter city to contry link then to trainlink
This is in Rails UNLIMITED TOO
thats the british one not the australian one
You forgot Griffith
That station's got an Xplorer service, not an XPT one.
Don't worry. When I first saw your comment, I thought: "Oh yeah! Griffith's got an XPT, too!" It's a simple mistake.
UnexplosiveRailfan sorry mate I misguided you Xplorers run to griffith
Pity the film is totally out of focus!
Just pixelated, that's all
Oh boy! Australians always find ways to make fast trains slower. Just recently I read that the XPT acutally operates at about 75 mph on most of its route due to bad track conditions. but who cares? It's a 125mph train that was downgraded to 100 mph to begin with. What a nightmare! 😂
Welcome to NSW :p
@@lmlmd2714 😂 Be honest! Is there any fast train in Australia?
@@MarioStahl1983 The Prospector was another example 10 years prior, of an over capable train brought in on tracks that were not up to scratch. They were ordered on the basis of proposed track upgrades to allow full performing, but the second part never took place (Australian politics).
@@jamesfrench7299 I see. Australians should not be under no illusions. Australian politicians HATE the railways. In the 1960s and 70s there were even some who wanted to abandon them COMPLETELY.
@@MarioStahl1983 when NSW premier Nick Greiner won office in 1988, he was going to replace all country railways with coaches but had to do an about face when voters in country seats that their coalition partners, the National party held, were set to make them lose the next election if he continued with the madness. He closed a lot of branch lines but the rest of the system was saved due to votor backlash.
Xpf
XPT not XPF.
Sorry
Permanently XPT goes too far 😂
Their British equivalents are being taken out of service and being replaced by 140 mph ugly units.
Oh. But I think we had something different mate! We had Hyperloops. NOT LYING. Eventually and High speed trains in Australia.
Australian rail network has changed.
Australia needs HSR. Our trains are out of date its not funny.
No You don’t as per Parliament. We need more sexes, LGBTQI xxxx. And more marriage types, man-man, woman-woman, LGBTQI - LGBTQI
I think we had our new plans in Victoria, as we are planning to have a high speed train network.
The XPT should join Scotrail
ScotRail has HSTs.
For Australia, We had our own high speed rail like cawwara express and etc in AUSR or His Highness railways OR Royal Australian Railways. So, I think that would be hard to be in scotland.
@@miauwgabriel3547 The XPT is based on the HST, a.k.a. the InterCity 125. The HST has been operating in Scotland since the late 1970s. They generally operate at 100mph within Scotland, although there are stretches where they can go faster on the ECML and WCML.
@@nkt1 Ok. Well, yes, it is based on HST. Well ok. I never knew HST types like England only exist in England.
@@nkt1 And by the way, XPT trains are made in Australia.
Total rip-off of the APT
You mean the HST / IC125 I think?
Not at all - checkout `XPT by COMENG' (3 videos) here on TH-cam if interested.
In 1986 between Wagga & Albury I timed it between mileposts, it was doing just over 160, averaged just under 150 for a good part of that trip. Track was maintained in those days & nowhere near as much heavy freight. The crew were proud too to be working on that train.
Thanks for your comment - the XPT crew have always been proud of what they do! If only the tracks and trains were kept consistently well looked-after.
@@sydneyrailbuff I'm not sure that would be helpful. Between Junee and Bowral the alignment is so poor that no amount of track maintenance will allow satisfactory reliability or speed. Better to let it deteriorate and use the savings to plan for re-alignment. That would benefit freight rail as well.
@@ralphsmith242 Good point
Massive PR cockup to allow the XPT's average speeds to lower over the years. It's common sense that the Government should have made sure that the track was maintained to the original standard so that 160 km/h runs possible in the early 80s were still possible 30+ years later.
Now the same authorities think it's ok to replace the XPT with a train that has no Sleeper accommodation so making it no longer able to offer a realistic alternative to air travel and in these supposedly greener times.
If government started HSR straight after the snowy hydro, as I wrote below. By now 5o odd years would of past by.
Towns in Western NSW QLD & VIC, would be mini city's by now not the ghost towns most are now.
HSR by now if government kept building , HSR could right up the hard part of NSW, up The Coast. So now Wollongong Newcastle Coffs Harbour could off been so different today, so much waste, if Government did continue building after the snowy hydro scheme, Australia could have say 30 million people, plus HSR branch line linking the western HSR line with the east coast HSR BY now.
But all government do is talk & waste time.
It really upsets me.
Colin Wilkie Those towns and small cities really rely on the XPT services. Improvements to the services would certainly help them greatly
Good video. XPTs have being running between Sydney - Melbourne since 1982.
Thanks!
Endeavour N set I think you’re right. I think I recall changing over to a V-Line train in 1991 at Albury as a child travelling with my mother travelling to Melbourne
It's like HST in a different version
This song is now my favourite!
Thanks! In case you were wondering it's Sounds Of Then by GANGgajang
I sing it every day.
Ok
I mean K
It’s fav not fave
Unfortunately trains in the east coast of NSW, we'll never go over 160km/h unless NSW built HSR which would be mile of viaducts & tunnels, to keep the tracks straight enough. However Once over the great dividing range, the land is flat enough, for longer straight track. So trains could easily go over the "160km/h mark" government should of build HSR in Western NSW straight after they finish the snowy hydro scheme.
Country towns would thriving now, because people could've lived our there then worked 2 odd hour away in Melbourne. I say Melbourne because western NSW is pretty flat all the way to Melbourne, so Victoria is prefect to start a HSR line straight up western NSW's into western QLD with branching off for Canberra Sydney Newcastle Brisbane ETC ETC.. Building HSR along the east coast of NSW would cost a lot. eg lots of tunnels & viaducts there's heaps of mountains along the coast.
Colin Wilkie That’s True. Max speed improvements would undoubtedly require major infrastructure upgrades in regional NSW
how fast is 160 km/h
Jo Bowler around 100mph
wow the HST Can go over that to 125mph
@@sydneyrailbuff The airlines don't want competition from HSR.
XPTs have served NSW for decades now and these new trains that are expected to replace the XPT fleet are meant to be faster, but are they talking faster then what the XPT used to go that 160k+ mark or faster then they travel today? The Xplorer/Endeavour DMUs are an evolution of The XPT passenger cars and now there’s been talk of replacements for those fleets too.
True. XPTs are great trains but it would be good if they were given the chance to reach their full potential more often.
Greater Anglia:new diesels aye We will send all the 153s and 156s
The new NSW TrainLink fleet is made to replace the V Sets, not the country link trains.
But I think they won’t trash any V sets, just serve as a normal V sets on their lines.
The new trains have the same design speed of 160 km/h but probably with better acceleration. The most stupid thing about the new trains is that they have no Sleeper accomodation so they will be far less able to compete with Air travel. They will be noisier with, i imagine, a Diesel engine under every car (probably DEMUs).
Those trains look really sleek and nice. Great video.
NiffIncentro At6/5 Thanks! It was all thanks to the Intercity 125, too
Oh wow as pom I never knew these existed!!! Everyday a school day.
160Kmph???? it never gets that fast XD
Yes it did. In the Northern NSW.
Currently, the CountryLink logo has been removed from some XPTs. Will they write NSW TrainLink on the sides instead?
Sydney Trains Silver Sets no as the xpts will be replaced soon they are not going to spend money on rebranding them
@@dashcole2650 one of the Xpt power cars is getting scrapped after the derailment at Wallan near Melbourne and 4 carriages too
From 1986 to 1991 I would take an XPT from Bathurst to Sydney every summer holidays as a child to visit family! NSW trains are awesome!
Thanks, mate! Sorry for the late reply
Yep when im older i would move to sydney or Melbourne
A modern train wasted in Australia, running on rotten steam era tracks, full of sharp bends, curves and grades, still much the same today in 2023! Both federal and state governments in Australia have very little vision in improving and expanding the rail network but toss billions of dollars into the freeway and road system plus subsidies for the truck industry, work that out! High speed electric traction passenger express and freight express (on a dedicated new track) between Brisbane-Sydney-Melbourne the only way...
If only they improved the XPT a bit and put it on the Sydney to Perth line (like the Indian Pacific)... Imagine how fast it will go then! Maybe put some bullet trains on their and add a fence...wow...
What
What!!!!!
@@aribiftekhar4185 lol idk...
I know that would also be the fastest train in the world due to the straight track
Cade Spencer yes indeed! 🤗
Fantastic video! The XPT is a beautiful machine. They're Versatile, good looking and a great HST equivalent for Australia. I liked and subscribed!
Thanks! Much appreciated!
Beautiful machine? 30 years ago maybe. Now it is an OLD machine, with slow speed, wobbly ride, old interior, dirty toilet, overweight conductors and horrible food. HST equivalent? Hold Cruz is the Benz S class equivalent ? Stop cheating yourself. Admission that the xpt is bad is the first step to improve it.
@@liuyangyang one is being scrapped and 4 carriages along with it
@@liuyangyang You sound prejudiced; overweight conductors?? haha
But sadly, the new reginoal trains will replace them. And I think that train will enters service in 2023
Beaut soundtrack it suits the video on this particular train topic
XPT is a much stronger and more powerful version of the British HST our XPT has uprated engines to cope with the much more undulating track we have here and much better Air conditioning to deal with our hotter environment, also the driving cars have 2 collision posts built into the frame to cope with the higher possibility of impacts on poorly fenced country lines and many more road crossings, at least 20 odd different formulas of Fibreglass were tested and rejected till a stronger mix was found and ultimately used on our power cars, XPT was built for a driver and a Observer and the then NSW Government caused massive industrial disruption in the early eighties deleting the 2nd person, the SRA ultimately won the dispute and as such XPT has only 1 driver. just on 40 years old this year 2022, they still provide sterling service to the people of NSW (a replacement is currently being negotiated as we speak)
Old train but great train in sydney XPT
I like both the UK HST and the Auzzie XPT trains very similar design
I’m not a fast reader...
I love rail history videos 💗 Great video about the XPT🚄💕
Lee Gary Walker Sarah Robinson Nancy
The xpt has done very well despite how Old it is
everyone vote for Australia
0:30 This is a HST Class 253 With the original “Intercity 125” These trains are Extremely rare The more common variant of the Class 253 Is the class 43. Which can be found in: Scotland England (idk but maybe wales 🏴)?
And the country link and intercity XPT liverys
Many thanks for this. What's the station at the 2.25 minute mark please?
British one was called 'intercity 125'!
1:01 HEY YOU GUYS, WATCH OUT A XPT COME! QUICK! QUICK!!!
Sorry to say but the XPT is retiring at the end of this year 😕
great video!😁👍
I rember the old orange couler scheme!😎
So the Austrila Has uk trains of the 41. THATS COOL!
I think a little bit no. We had Comeng or Commonwealth Engineering to build that XPT and meant to reach 210 km/h.
Have to go from Melbourne to Sydney next year. Heeding the great Cruisling advice of never flying up on the day of your cruise, I am planning of traveling up overnight on the sleeper service.
Colin Ely Interesting! I suggest booking one of the sleeper cabins or at least a first class seat as opposed to economy
@@sydneyrailbuff yes planning on getting a sleeper hopefully get a good nights sleep arrive in morning plenty of time to make boarding at midday
its really telling how fantastic the british class 43 is and was, to have it do all the same things for the australian rail network that it did for the british one in the form of the XPT with some tiny design alterations. british rail made nothing but embarressing failures but this train is an absolute gem
Love this ❤
What was used before xpt entered service
Southern aura pulled by the 41 class but they also got replaced through the 1980s
Xpt
These trains seem ancient technology... 160km/h?... 200km/h... Pfftt the bullet trains in Europe and Japan go up-to and over 500km/h...syd to gold coast or Melbourne in 1.5hrs...yes please
You also have to think of the horrid track conditions in Australia. :P
160km/h? You wish. 120km/h at most.
@@liuyangyang Yes, in melbourne is 120 to 140 km/h but at the northern NSW, There are speeds like 150 to 160 km/h
they used to go really fast by due to speed restrictions they had to stick to them
i over heard a story on the melbourne tait shuttles last sunday a passenger had a friend who drive this he said at one point on the melbourne run he was 45 mins late hit every 90 at 95 and every 110 at 120 saw a station with no one passed it AND HE MADE IT TO SOUTHERN CROSS 2 MINS EARLY HE MADE UP 45 MINS
1:01 why did they cross the tracks there is a train coming and a bridge right behind them
It’s because the XPT wasn’t close I know it may look like it but it’s because the camera makes it look closer
great train to ride on
No argument there
I agree
its cheaper and quicker to fly the fares are out of reach for poor old me
How about tilting trains? APT? Super Voyager?
The Super Voyagers in Britain are absolutely terrible. Having ridden on various Talgo trains and always having had a good experience, I'd strongly advocate for the Talgo XXI. Talgo do sleeper trains better than anyone. Combine that with speed, a simple yet effective tilting system, low weight and high efficiency, and it's a good setup. The current regional XPT "replacement" is going to be a DMU of all things..... that cannot end well. Hands up who wants to have a rumbling, shaking diesel engine right under their chair for 11 hours straight?
17,000 Views!
Never seen one
The XPTs were based of the British HST design. Some HSTs are even fitted with the same Paxman VP185 engine. All the VP185 HSTs are no longer in passenger service however a few have been preserved and a lot are in storage, waiting for work......
Both the HST and XPT were originally fitted with the Paxman Valenta.
@@nkt1 I never knew that! I need to revise more! 🤣
@@tr_nt. Lol. There's very little footage of Valenta-equipped XPTs on TH-cam, unfortunately.
Cool
Looks like a copy of the HST
It's based on it
The HST is also called the Class 43
and Class 44, Class 43 were built for the Western Region of British Rail and the Class 44 version was built for the Eastern Region of British rail, no difference in looks except I believe the Class 44 was an 8 coach train and the Class 43 a 7 coach train.
Good work
One day I will :)
I witnessed an HST going faster than I'd ever seen an XPT go when in London 1999. I was blown away and thought I've reached a real western country.
The XPT power cars are lower geared than those of the IC125 since the XPT has to negotiate long steep hills on the routes in Aus.
Design speed of XPT is therefore 160 km/h (same as the new trains that will replace XPT). The new trains will not feature Sleeper accommodation btw.
@@Martindyna I learnt all that about the gearing for our conditions since I posted that comment.
The HST wouldn't have been able to climb some of the grades here.
The last train I went on , top speed 60kph Canberra to Sydney . 5 hour trip . never ever again, no fucking way .
You're referring to the Canberra Xplorer. The trip takes just over four hours and Xplorer trains operate at a maximum of 145km/h. I can still understand why you would find this too slow. On top of that your service must've been delayed
Even a Murray ‘s bus from Central station to Canberra would have been quicker!
Transport minister should be focusing on fixing up the regional lines instead of throwing money at sydney
Sydney's railway system is doing quite well, but yes, I would love to see some investment in regional tracks and infrastructure
Who have the votes? Not poor regionals.
I wish it would go to Adelaide
SA has pulled the plug on the overland VIC is now funding it till 2023
It looks like UK HST
Well observed! It is based off it
Awesome video
Thanks!
It Also Goe's To Canberra To Sydney & Back Again
That's the Xplorer not the Xpt
@@alexthompson5275. I Know
HST
XPT. Not HST.
Service speed is 160km/h
Raced the xpt from Albury to Broadmeadow Vic in rush hour. The car won. 160km/h? No way.
@@liuyangyang Yes no way but up to northern NSW, I had told you since, there are 160 kilometers per hour speed allowed.
I have never ride the XPT
Trust me, its worth a try, i have rode the XPT, it may be noisy but its really cool
@@mr_skyl1ne578 uh lol i posted that message in 2018 or 2017 thats a old message btw i still haven't taken a ride on it lol
What horrible low resoution! The XPT video looks terrible. Not worth watching a blurry video.
Peter B Do you realise that many of these clips were filmed in the 80s and 90s, when film was not as good as now?