"WA on track for $59m super trains"

[Douglas CLIFFORD <cliffd@iinet.net.au>]

Headline in "The West Australian" page 32,  Wednesday 14th June 2000

"WA moved a step closer to a promised high-speed link between Perth &
Kalgoorlie with the announcement yesterday of the Government's
preferred tenderer to build so-called super trains.

New South Wales-based A. Goninan & Co Ltd has tendered to build two
two car sets and one and three car stes for the Prospector service
between Kalgoorlie and Perth, and a two car set for the Avon-Link
between the Avon Valley and Perth.

Transport Minister Murray Criddle said the new Railcars were expected
to cost about $59 million and to be operating by 2003.

He said the new wide-bodied Prospector for the Kalgoorlie service
would be capable ofd travelling @ up to 200kmh - which would reduce
the current eight-hour journey by two hours.

The Avon-Link service between Nortan and Perth would be reduced by
about 30 minutes, thanks to a 150kmh train and a $2.4 million
refurbishment of Midland station to enable passengers to transfer to
the urban passenger system there.

He said the Prospector and Avon-Link trains would be fitted with power
points for laptop computers, security cameras and easy-access toiltes
for the disabled.

Sevices on the new Prospector would include telephones, music channels
and video entertainment, and personal air-conditioning controls."

Doug