Action for Public Transport (N.S.W.) Inc. |
Action for Public Transport (NSW) is an organisation which campaigns for transit improvements in New South Wales. We refer to the recent award of a contract for supply of new intercity rail carriages.
The information announced suggests that the carriages will have fixed seats in the upper and lower decks. We would respectfully point out that such seats have been very unpopular in the past (e.g. the first Tangara carriages) and some have been replaced by retro-fitted reversible seats. We would urge that the style of seating be re-considered or at least that steps be taken to ensure that the carriages are suitable for retro-fitting of reversible seats in the future.
We also note longitudinal seating in the end compartments. We would appreciate knowing the maximum seated capacity of each new 4-car set as compared with the seating capacity of current 4-car V-sets. We point out that passengers riding on trips sometimes exceeding two hours reasonably expect to be seated throughout the trip.