A joint venture of Downer EDI Rail and Hitachi is delivering 626 new, air-conditioned Waratah train carriages on behalf of Reliance Rail. The Waratah trains will be progressively delivered from late 2010 to RailCorp. The new partnership between Downer EDI Rail Ltd and DB Schenker is a logical choice given its experience in global supply chain management.

Over 4 years DB Schenker will be responsible for the transportation of 626 carriages (78 eight-car double deck trains plus two spare carriages) and tons of critical parts to Downer EDI Rail’s manufacturing facility in Cardiff, NSW. The contract includes transportation services for high quality materials from France, Germany, Japan and China via ocean freight, air freight and train and road haulage of partially completed carriages and spare parts to the manufacturing facility in Cardiff, Australia.  

July marked another significant milestone for this project as DB Schenker unloaded the four carriages of a pre-production test vehicle at the Port of Newcastle for customs inspection and haulage to Cardiff for final fit-out.

Ron Koehler, CEO of Schenker Australia Pty Ltd said, “The contract is the largest yet placed in Australia and we are excited by the opportunity to work with Downer EDI Rail to assist in the successful delivery of the new fleet of Waratah trains for Sydney.”

Effective supply chain

“Working together in true partnership, Downer EDI Rail Ltd and DB Schenker have designed an effective supply chain that is second to none. This exceptional logistics model represents years of careful planning, consultation and risk assessment with all stakeholders to ensure the safe delivery of Sydney’s Waratah trains.“We are very proud to be working with Downer EDI Rail to deliver the next generation train for Sydney commuters.”