Bombardier New Generation Rollingstock (NGR)

The NGRs are the 75 six-car trains that replaced the EMUs and the ICEs. In January 2014 the Queensland Government signed a 32-year public private partnership with the Qtectic consortium (Bombardier Transportation, Aberdeen Asset Management, Itochu and John Laing) to build and maintain them, a deal worth around $4.4 billion. They were the first Queensland Rail trains to be built overseas rather than at Maryborough, coming out of Bombardier's plant at Savli in India. The first unit arrived at the Port of Brisbane in February 2016, and they're maintained at a new depot west of Wulkuraka.

The first NGR went into service in December 2017 on the Airport and Gold Coast lines, and they spread across the network from there: Doomben in May 2018, Redcliffe and Springfield in September, Ipswich and Caboolture in October, Shorncliffe and Cleveland in February 2019 and the Sunshine Coast line as far as Nambour in March 2020. The last of the 75 entered service in January 2020. They don't run to Ferny Grove, because of clearances, or Rosewood, where the platforms are too short.

Their introduction was not smooth. The trains didn't meet disability access standards, with the accessible toilet 12 mm too small and wheelchair users unable to reach it from one of the two accessible cars, and when the Australian Human Rights Commission knocked back an exemption in March 2018 rectification became unavoidable. Every unit went through Downer's Maryborough works to have its toilet modules moved, both middle cars made wheelchair accessible, more help points fitted and priority seating relabelled. 735 was the first to go, in January 2019, and 771 the last, in April 2024, with the job finished in July 2024.

References

'New Generation Rollingstock', Wikipedia (accessed October 2026)