Comeng (train)


The Comeng is a class of electric multiple unit operating on the suburban railway network of Melbourne. Built by their namesake Commonwealth Engineering, the trains were introduced in 1981 as a replacement for the Tait and Harris trains. In total, 190 three-car trainsets were built, although only 110 remain in service and are expected to be retired by 2030.
The fleet underwent two major refurbishments. The first, a mid-life refurbishment, was carried out from 2000 to 2003 by Alstom and EDi Rail. The second, named the Comeng Life Extension Project, completed between 2017 and 2021, aimed to extend the trains' lifespan to meet their gradual replacement by the High Capacity Metro Trains and the X'Trapolis 2.0 trains. Alongside these upgrades, a number of minor improvement programs were also conducted on the trains to further enhance their efficiency, safety, and reliability.

Description

Comeng trains are single deck and are semi-permanently coupled as M-T-M sets. Most frequently, they are coupled as M-T-M-M-T-M sets. Comeng trains have power operated doors that must be pulled open manually by hand but are closed by the driver. The trains were the first suburban trains in Melbourne to have air-conditioning in the passenger saloon.
They operate in larger numbers on the Northern, Cross City and Frankston group lines. Since 2017, it has been rare to see Comengs on the Burnley and Clifton Hill group lines which are serviced almost exclusively by newer X'Trapolis trains. Since December 2022, Comeng trains no longer served the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines and since February 2026, Comeng trains no longer served the Sunbury line. The design of Melbourne's Comeng trains is closely related to that of Adelaide Metro's diesel-electric 3000 class railcars.
The Comeng trains had previously served on the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines until they were replaced by the High Capacity Metro Trains, after the opening of the Metro Tunnel. As of 1 February 2026, those lines are now operated exclusively by High Capacity Metro Trains.
The Comeng fleet has begun retirement, with many sets being transferred to North Shore and Tottenham to be stored. The stored sets eventually being transferred to Laverton, North Bendigo or McIntyre for scrapping. The fleet will eventually be replaced by the High Capacity Metro Trains and X'Trapolis 2.0 fleet.

History

In 1979, the operator of the Melbourne rail network at the time VicRail, placed an initial order for 100 new 3-car train sets, with the intention of replacing the last of the Tait sets and the majority of the Harris sets. The contract was awarded to Commonwealth Engineering, with the trains being manufactured at Comeng's Dandenong rolling stock factory.
The first Comeng set, 301M-1001T-302M, entered service on 28 September 1981. By the middle of 1984, 76 sets had been delivered, and some of the older trains, including the last of the Tait rolling stock, had begun to be phased out. Following the operational problems and subsequent failed refurbishment of the Harris fleet, the initial order was increased from 100 to 190 3-car sets, with the aim of completely replacing both the Tait and Harris sets by 1988.
Set 381M-1041T-382M was the first delivered in the Metropolitan Transit green and yellow scheme, though the sets including 27T and 28T had been repainted before then. Notably, when the 41st set was delivered the front panels of the motor carriages were still silver-framed rather than yellow.
The 45th set delivered had custom decals applied to the sides celebrating the halfway point through the order. On the side was the quote "45th Super Train from The Met", and the sides also displayed the number 45 in large Numerals below the windows. This was found on two sets, 477M-1089T-478M and 479M-1090T-480M. These had been removed by 1 February 1991. 477M-1089T-478M still remains in service, but 479M-1090T-480M was stored at North Shore before being scrapped in early 2022.
The final Comeng set to enter service was 697M-1199T-698M on 24 July 1989.

Refurbishment

;2000–2003
File:Comeng477.jpg|left|thumb|200x200px|An M>Train liveried Comeng 477M as delivered after refurbishment by EDi Rail. The brand went defunct in 2004, leaving Connex to take over all Comeng operations.
File:D2 0371E2E1R1 comengtooronga.jpg|left|thumb|200x200px|A Connex liveried Comeng set, likely 568M-1134T-567M, as refurbished by Alstom between 2000 and 2003, arrives into Tooronga station.
Between 2000 and 2003, the two train operators at the time, Connex and M>Train, had Alstom and EDi Rail respectively refurbish the trains.
The Alstom and EDi Rail sets have a number of differences, including:
  • Interior arrangement – The interior LED displays on the M>Train trains were in the middle, as opposed to being at both ends of the carriage on Connex sets.
  • Upholstery – Seats in M>Train trains were given a blue texture, while Connex opted for rainbow-textured seats, with scattered letters spelling out "Connex".
  • Seating arrangement – Both operators designed their carriages different seating layouts.
  • Exterior front panels – Information on the train's terminus is displayed on top of the window on M>Train fleets, while Connex trains have them displaying on the right window.
  • Cab layout – The EDI Rail refurbished trains retained a second full-size seat on the right-hand side of the cab, originally used for the guard, whereas the Alstom sets only have a small seat, the same size as the passenger ones.
  • Cab fittings – The EDi Rail trains also have a windscreen-wiper on both sides, the Alstom sets only having one on the driver's side.
  • Light fittings – The Alstom refurbished trains have grated light coverings, while the EDi type retained the original flat coverings.
  • And Early on the electric systems were incompatible between the 2 typesso they never ran coupled. But then in the later years they were modified to be able to run together.
Both sets had CCTV and emergency assistance panels introduced and installed as part of the refurbishment program.
After Connex assumed responsibility for all of Melbourne's suburban train network in 2004, the EDI refurbished trains had the M>Train exterior logos removed with a new Connex logo in its place alongside a repainted front panel. The trains also later received Connex blue and yellow side stripes, new seat fabric with the Connex branding.

Concorde program

;2006–2007
From December 2006 both fleets were allowed to run system wide. The electronics of both Comeng types were altered to make them electronically compatible with each other, with both the PID voices and display formatting altered. Both types of Comeng can run system wide and can run in multiple unit with trains of the same or different type.

Interior rearrangements

;2009
From the beginning of March 2009, Connex ran a test set of carriages with new seating arrangement on city lines. The new arrangements removed 44 seats, making room for more standing on the train. The changes were made to accommodate the increased patronage on the Melbourne rail network.

Door upgrades

;2014–2015
Comeng trains still require passengers to manually open saloon doors to enter and exit the trains. Pneumatic air pressure keeps the doors closed whilst the trains are in motion, and is released by the driver when the carriages stop at station platforms. Prior to 2014, the doors were fitted with large "door knob" style handles. These made it relatively easy for unruly passengers to force the doors open, including while the train was in motion. All carriages were retrofitted with a new flat slim handle designed to make doors more difficult to force open. This followed an incident at Watergardens railway station where teenagers forced open a door on a moving train and one jumped out, injuring himself. Alan Osbourne, then director of Transport Safety Victoria, informed Metro that the Comeng trains would be taken out of service if their doors were not made impossible to force open by 2017.

Life extension

;2017–2021
From 2017 to 2021, the entirety of the existing Comeng fleet undertook a $75 million life extension refurbishment program with a number of upgrades taking place in order to allow the fleet to operate reliably and safely for at least another decade prior to their retirement. These upgrades were carried out in stages, focusing on external, internal, mechanical and safety system upgrades.
Stage 1 of the life extension refurbishment works revolved only on exterior modifications, with much of the mechanical and safety systems remaining the same and their interiors largely unaltered from their 2014/2015 modifications. 25% of the existing Comeng fleet undertook only the stage 1 life extension refurbishment. The stage 1 upgrades include:
  • LED marker lights
  • New vinyl stickering with PTV branding identity livery on the exterior fibreglass front panels.
  • Removal of external handles and step ladders at the leading end of all motor cars to reduce instances of train surfing.
Stage 2 of the life extension refurbishment works concentrated on both interior and mechanical upgrades, with 75% of the existing Comeng fleet undertaking the stage 2 refurbishment. In addition to the stage 1 upgrades, the stage 2 upgrades include:
  • Updated upholstery – Seats in Connex rainbow-textured pattern were updated to Public Transport Victoria's corporate identity in either blue or orange geometric design.
  • Additional and upgraded grab handles and poles.
  • Concertina style enclosed gangways between carriages.
  • Improved saloon lighting and additional handholds.
  • Door upgrades.
  • Improvements to the driver's panel.
Stage 3 of the life extension refurbishment works focused on communications and additional mechanical upgrades, with 31% of the Comeng fleet, namely the disc brake units, having been further enhanced with these upgrades. These sets will more than likely be the last Comeng sets to remain in service when they will be eventually retired. In addition to the stage 2 upgrades, the stage 3 upgrades include:
  • New external LED destination signs.
  • New dynamic Passenger Information Screens which displays real time data.
  • Improved safety enhancements, including an upgrade to high definition CCTV cameras with better clarity and a wider field of view, and new emergency help points.
  • Improvements to hearing aid links with a new and upgraded speaker and onboard announcement system.
  • Improvements to the overall air compression system powering the brakes, doors, pantographs and traction systems.
The life extension refurbishment program was completed by the end of 2021 with 75% of the Comeng units having undergone the stages 2/3 upgrades. As of June 2023, all stage 1 sets, along with some stage 2 sets have been scrapped, having since been replaced by the High Capacity Metro Trains.