STAFF WRITER
All aboard the new look trains – eventually.
In the rollout of the new Regional Rail Fleet, 16 of the fleet’s 29 trains are now in the country, including nine of the 10 long regional trains and seven of the nine short regional trains.
The new Regional Rail Fleet will replace the ageing XPT, XPLORER and most of the Endeavour trains for a more modern and comfortable travel experience for customers travelling between Sydney, regional NSW and interstate destinations.
Four long regional trains are currently being tested on the NSW rail network – the trains can operate on both electric and diesel power, allowing them to travel across electrified sections of the network as well as regional routes where overhead power is not available. 
This technology is a first for regional passenger trains in Australia and extensive testing is being done at the purpose built Mindyarra Maintenance Facility in Dubbo.
Before carrying passengers, the fleet must complete thousands of kilometres of trial running across metropolitan and regional rail lines.
The State Government has separately committed $40.3million to extending the life of the existing XPT fleet, which will keep running until the new trains enter service. No date has been given for when that will be.