livery In 1979, the operator of the Melbourne rail network at the time
VicRail, placed an initial order for 100 new 3-car train sets, with the intention of replacing the last of the
Tait sets and the majority of the
Harris sets. The contract was awarded to
Commonwealth Engineering, with the trains being manufactured at Comeng's
Dandenong rolling stock factory. The first Comeng set, 301M-1001T-302M, entered service on 28 September 1981. By the middle of 1984, 76 sets had been delivered, and some of the older trains, including the last of the Tait rolling stock, had begun to be phased out. Following the operational problems and subsequent failed refurbishment of the Harris fleet, the initial order was increased from 100 to 190 3-car sets, with the aim of completely replacing both the Tait and Harris sets by 1988. Set 381M-1041T-382M was the first delivered in the Metropolitan Transit green and yellow scheme, though the sets including 27T and 28T had been repainted (with those cars renumbered 1027T and 1028T respectively) before then. Notably, when the 41st set was delivered the front panels of the motor carriages were still silver-framed rather than yellow. The 45th set delivered had custom decals applied to the sides celebrating the halfway point through the order. On the side (above each door) was the quote "45th Super Train from The Met", and the sides also displayed the number 45 in large Numerals below the windows. This was found on two sets, 477M-1089T-478M and 479M-1090T-480M. These had been removed by 1 February 1991. 477M-1089T-478M still remains in service, but 479M-1090T-480M was stored at North Shore before being scrapped in early 2022. The final Comeng set to enter service was 697M-1199T-698M on 24 July 1989.
Refurbishment ;2000–2003 liveried Comeng 477M as delivered after refurbishment by
EDi Rail. The brand went defunct in 2004, leaving
Connex to take over all Comeng operations. liveried Comeng set, likely 568M-1134T-567M, as refurbished by
Alstom between 2000 and 2003, arrives into Tooronga station. Between 2000 and 2003, the two train operators at the time,
Connex and
M>Train, had
Alstom and
EDi Rail respectively refurbish the trains. The Alstom and EDi Rail sets have a number of differences, including: • Interior arrangement – The interior
LED displays on the M>Train trains were in the middle, as opposed to being at both ends of the carriage on Connex sets. • Upholstery – Seats in M>Train trains were given a blue texture, while Connex opted for rainbow-textured seats, with scattered letters spelling out "Connex". • Seating arrangement – Both operators designed their carriages different seating layouts. • Exterior front panels – Information on the train's terminus is displayed on top of the window on M>Train fleets, while Connex trains have them displaying on the right window (in pre-refurbishment style). • Cab layout – The EDI Rail refurbished trains retained a second full-size seat on the right-hand side of the cab, originally used for the guard, whereas the Alstom sets only have a small seat, the same size as the passenger ones. • Cab fittings – The EDi Rail trains also have a windscreen-wiper on both sides, the Alstom sets only having one on the driver's side. • Light fittings – The Alstom refurbished trains have grated light coverings, while the EDi type retained the original flat coverings. • And Early on the electric systems were incompatible between the 2 types, thus they could never run coupled. But then in the later years they were modified to be able to run together. Both sets had
CCTV and emergency assistance panels introduced and installed as part of the refurbishment program. After
Connex assumed responsibility for all of Melbourne's suburban train network in 2004, the EDI refurbished trains (from
M>Train) had the
M>Train exterior logos removed with a new
Connex logo in its place alongside a repainted front panel. The trains also later received
Connex blue and yellow side stripes, new seat fabric with the
Connex branding.
Concorde program ;2006–2007 From December 2006 both fleets were allowed to run system wide. The electronics of both Comeng types were altered to make them electronically compatible with each other, with both the PID voices and display formatting altered. Both types of Comeng can run system wide and can run in
multiple unit with trains of the same or different type.
Interior rearrangements ;2009 From the beginning of March 2009, Connex ran a test set of carriages with new seating arrangement on city lines. The new arrangements removed 44 seats, making room for more standing on the train. The changes were made to accommodate the increased patronage on the Melbourne rail network.
Door upgrades ;2014–2015 Comeng trains require passengers to manually open saloon doors to enter and exit the trains. Pneumatic air pressure keeps the doors closed whilst the trains are in motion, and is released by the driver when the carriages stop at station platforms. Prior to 2014, the doors were fitted with large "door knob" style handles. These made it relatively easy for unruly passengers to force the doors open, including while the train was in motion. All carriages were retrofitted with a new flat slim handle designed to make doors more difficult to force open. This followed an incident at
Watergardens railway station where teenagers forced open a door on a moving train and one jumped out, injuring himself. Alan Osbourne, then director of
Transport Safety Victoria (TSV), informed Metro that the Comeng trains would be taken out of service if their doors were not made impossible to force open by 2017.
Life extension ;2017–2021 From 2017 to 2021, the entirety of the existing Comeng fleet undertook a $75 million life extension refurbishment program with a number of upgrades taking place in order to allow the fleet to operate reliably and safely for at least another decade prior to their retirement. These upgrades were carried out in stages (1, 2 & 3), focusing on external, internal, mechanical and safety system upgrades. Stage 1 of the life extension refurbishment works revolved only on exterior modifications, with much of the mechanical and safety systems remaining the same and their interiors largely unaltered from their 2014/2015 modifications. 25% of the existing Comeng fleet undertook only the stage 1 life extension refurbishment. The stage 1 upgrades include: • LED marker lights • New vinyl stickering with
PTV branding identity livery on the exterior fibreglass front panels. • Removal of external handles and step ladders at the leading end of all motor cars to reduce instances of
train surfing. Stage 2 of the life extension refurbishment works concentrated on both interior and mechanical upgrades, with 75% of the existing Comeng fleet undertaking the stage 2 refurbishment. In addition to the stage 1 upgrades, the stage 2 upgrades include: • Updated upholstery – Seats in
Connex rainbow-textured pattern were updated to
Public Transport Victoria's corporate identity in either blue or orange (priority seating) geometric design. • Additional and upgraded grab handles and poles. • Concertina style enclosed gangways between carriages. • Improved saloon lighting and additional handholds. • Door upgrades. • Improvements to the driver's panel. Stage 3 of the life extension refurbishment works focused on communications and additional mechanical upgrades, with 31% of the Comeng fleet, namely the disc brake units, having been further enhanced with these upgrades. These sets will more than likely be the last Comeng sets to remain in service when they will be eventually retired. In addition to the stage 2 upgrades, the stage 3 upgrades include: • New external LED destination signs. • New dynamic Passenger Information Screens which displays real time data. == Retirement ==