Hunter Railcars DMU – Australia

The Hunter DMU trains are regional trains operating in the scenic Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Australia. Built by UGL at Broadmeadow NSW the first Hunter Railcars entered service in 2006.

While these railcars were derived from the Prospector / Avonlink DMU design, the end customer requirements were quite different, resulting a new HVAC design being required. The HVAC systems developed for these trains by Noske-Kaeser Rail & Vehicle utilised a modular approach adapting the basic component layout as the single large HVAC units supplied for the Perth ‘B’ Series EMU only splitting the HVAC unit into two separate units per car.

The scope of work included the design of the interior air-distribution system involving the building of a full-size mock-up of the saloon area to trial different ducting configurations. To optimise weight, Noske-Kaeser Rail & Vehicle utilised a hybrid construction technique was used utilising a stainless-steel frame with aluminium skins.