NIF to be built by infamous Hyundai Rotem

The recent news that the NSW Government has awarded the contract to build the new interurban fleet to a consortium which would build the trains in South Korea was a blow to Australian jobs.

But it gets worse. We’ve done some investigating into ‘RailConnect’ – a joint venture between the Hyundai Rotem Company, Mitsubishi Electric Australia and UGL Rail. It turns out that Hyundai Rotem is infamous for building trains which have made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

In fact, the company is in the media spotlight in the US, Korea and the Ukraine for their manufacturing standards including mechanical malfunctions, fatigue cracks and defective brakes.

In Philadelphia, nearly all of the new intercity fleet made by Hyundai Rotem had to be taken out of service due to shoddy welding. According to media reports, fatigue cracks were found on almost all of the new 120 Silverliner V railcars. For commuters, it’s creating a transport nightmare, with nearly a third of the fleet (more than 13,000 seats) out of action during the peak summer months.

In Boston, a Hyundai Rotem fleet of rail cars was delivered 2½ years behind schedule and is now “so plagued by mechanical, engineering, and software problems that it has to be shipped to a facility in Rhode Island to be fitted with new parts,” according to media reports. Problems range from faulty heating and air-conditioning units, to poorly constructed undercarriages, problems with brakes and issues with the software that controls signal communication in the cab of the train.

Tom Murray, local area president of the Transport Workers Union of America, told the media: “In my 40-some years of railroad experience, we’ve never seen problems like this.”

In Korea, a court ruled Hyundai Rotem responsible for 63 defect accidents  affecting the high-speed KTX-Sancheon train. The incidents included halted train service due to mechanical malfunctions and defects on brakes which caused the national railroad officer to inspect and repair all trains.

And in the Ukraine, Hyundai Rotem trains were declared unsafe by the country’s Prosecutor General’s office after they were in operation for more than a year, endangering lives.

We’re sure that the list goes on – if you see any more stories on the consortium partners which we should be aware of, please send them through to Loco Express or leave a comment below.