The Interurban multiple units (IMU) are a class of

electric multiple units An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number ...

manufactured by Walkers Limited/ Downer EDI Rail, Maryborough for Queensland Rail's

Citytrain The Queensland Rail Citytrain network, provides urban, suburban and interurban electric passenger railway services in South East Queensland, Australia. History The first railway in Queensland did not run to Brisbane, but ran from Ipswich rai ...

division between 1996 and 2011. The IMU is divided into in three subclasses, units 101-110 as the 100 series, units 121-124 as the 120 series, and units 161-188, as the 160 series.

Design

The Interurban Multiple Units are a long-distance optimised version of the Suburban Multiple Units. Internally, the IMUs differ from the SMUs, being fitted with larger seats, luggage racks and mobility-access toilets. Like most trains in the Citytrain fleet, two three-car IMUs can be coupled to form one six-car unit.

History

100 series

To provide rolling stock for the new Gold Coast line to

Helensvale Helensvale is a suburb of the City of Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. In the , Helensvale had a population of 16,862 people. Geography Helensvale is bounded by the Pacific Motorway to the west, by the Coomera River to the north, by Sa ...

, in 1993 a contract for four 100 class units was awarded to Walkers Limited, Maryborough. The 100 were manufactured by Walkers Limited, Maryborough in partnership with ABB. The first four IMU100s, 101 to 104 entered service in 1996 before the opening of the new line. As these were never going to be adequate to operate all services on the line, in July 1995 a further six were ordered. They were delivered in 1997. They feature luggage racks, disabled access toilets, and high-backed cloth seating. IMU 105 still retains the green ocean themed seating moquette, which has been replaced in all other units. The only other train this design can be seen on is the

ICE Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaq ...

120 series

In 1999, four 120 series units were ordered for the Airtrain line to

Brisbane Airport Brisbane Airport is the primary international airport serving Brisbane and South East Queensland. The airport services 31 airlines flying to 50 domestic and 29 international destinations, in total amounting to more than 22.7 million passeng ...

. They entered service in 2001, fitted with high-backed seats with a head cushion as an extension as the seat design is based on the SMU 220s, one toilet per unit and luggage racks in different configurations due to the interior design differences to its predecessor. The 100 series and 120 series are interoperable, and used to operate together in revenue service as six-car units, but no longer do so due to electrical and mechanical differences. The 120 series were the final batch of trains manufactured by Walkers Limited before being absorbed by

Downer Group Downer Group is an integrated services company active in Australia and New Zealand. Listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and New Zealand Stock Exchange as Downer EDI (DOW), Downer is an ASX 100 company. Downer Group employs approximat ...

, Maryborough in partnership with ADtranz, which was likewise taken over by Bombardier.

160 series

In 2004, Queensland Rail ordered sixteen 160 series units to provide extra rolling stock in conjunction with the upgrade and duplication of the Gold Coast line. The 160 series were manufactured by Downer EDI Rail, Maryborough in partnership with

Bombardier Transportation Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian-German rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, headquartered in Berlin, Germany. It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industry ...

. These trains are similar in design to the Transperth B-series train, with alterations to the headlights to complement with the rest of the Citytrain fleet. These trains are interoperable with the 260 series Suburban Multiple Units as they have almost identical specifications. In early 2007, during safety checks, it was discovered that air-conditioning units on the trains were 10 millimetres too wide for the

loading gauge A loading gauge is a diagram or physical structure that defines the maximum height and width dimensions in railway vehicles and their loads. Their purpose is to ensure that rail vehicles can pass safely through tunnels and under bridges, and ke ...

. On 28 May 2007, the first of the new IMUs entered service on the Gold Coast line. Most IMU160 services on the Gold Coast have been superseded by the faster New Generation Rollingstock.

Gallery

File:Queensland Rail IMU100 Transverse Seating.jpg, Refurbished IMU 100 interior File:Queensland Rail IMU120 Transverse Seating.jpg, Refurbished IMU 120 interior

Derailments

On 31 January 2013, IMU173 derailed at

Cleveland station Cleveland is a city in northeast Ohio, United States. Cleveland may also refer to: Places Australia * Cleveland, Queensland ** Electoral district of Cleveland * Cleveland, Tasmania, a place along the Midland Highway Canada * Cleveland, N ...

and ran into the station's toilet block, injuring 14. Only minor injuries were reported.Passenger train derails on Cleveland line during morning commute
''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...

'' 1 February 2013 The damaged car IM5173 was eventually repaired and returned to service.

Notes

References

External links

QR awards multi-million-dollar Citytrain contractQRIG.org Motive Power SectionInterurban Multiple Unit (IMU100) Queensland RailInterurban Multiple Unit (IMU120) Queensland RailInterurban Multiple Unit (IMU160) Queensland RailSpecifications (100 series)Specifications (120 series)
{{QueenslandLocos, state=collapsed Electric multiple units of Queensland Queensland Rail City network Train-related introductions in 1996 25 kV AC multiple units Bombardier Transportation multiple units