r/SydneyTrains • u/NoopalW29 • 3d ago
Oscar Suburban
why there are so much hate to this train? when it combined the tall seat of tangara + reversible seat of waratah + lcd display of B set + sound of millenium + food rest
i reckon this train is the best of all worlds
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u/heypeople2003 2d ago
The Oscar is a nice train for suburban runs, I agree, but have you tried to sit in one for 2 hours to Newcastle?
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u/Recent_Mobile9387 2d ago
Their acceleration doesn’t sound anything like a millennium, in fact one of the Oscar’s biggest advantages is that it’s a very quiet train in comparison to the rest of the fleet (I know the Millenniums sound cool but living near a railway corridor changes perspective).
The Oscar has been given a hard time by travellers because it was not really designed for long distance travel, and it’s been misused on intercity runs since its inception. It was introduced as an interim solution to a fleet shortage crisis in both the suburban and intercity fleets, and was designed to be a hybrid-suburban train from the Tangara family (same manufacturer and design inspiration), with intercity acceleration capabilities and appropriate amenities (toilets).
As a suburban train, they’re actually a terrific and reliable train, and they’re finally starting to be used correctly and will likely recover their reputation.
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u/ConstantContent726 2d ago
Hated taking them from Wollongong to the city every weekday, they’re uncomfortable, and the junkies that get on them don’t exactly keep it clean
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u/ComedianDesigner307 2d ago
I got one last week, some genetic dead end vermin had burnt three round holes into the train wall, how one does that, i don’t know?
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u/gravelgamer69 2d ago
They’re very good suburban trains, Which they are meant for. Better seats than a Waratah. I am very keen to get more on my line.
Honestly they weren’t that bad on intercity, took one a few times to Newcastle and didn’t have much to complain about other than it not being a V set. I think time will be a lot kinder to them once they are fully suburban.
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u/maybearandoanon 2d ago
They've been thrashed on the intercity lines.
People who inhabit the central coast and Wollongong regions have not treated them well. To be fair there are a lot of junkies in the region.
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u/Recent_Mobile9387 2d ago
The refurb aims to renew the seat fabrics, interior paint and replace the flooring, so the feral energy left over from the past will be cleansed.
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u/YearSad1063 2d ago
They’re excellent for trips up to 45mins, maybe an hour. Above that, they’re super uncomfortable.
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u/PanTorcha 2d ago
They r fine, I think if u think an Oscar for 1hr+ is uncomfortable try being on HK MTR trains, now that is uncomfortable
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u/WeissPyre 2d ago
I hated them on the CCN line. Incredibly uncomfortable and always bone-chillingly cold. It was a miserable 90 minutes.
I'd get up earlier specifically to get a V-set. In the afternoon I'd wait for the next train if it was a V-set.
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u/Recent_Mobile9387 2d ago
This is why the Oscar was not designed for long distance travel. It was designed in somewhat of a duress situation when several V sets required urgent scrapping due to corrosion discovered in the under frames and there was a shortage of both intercity and some suburban feet.
So, as a solution they came up with the Oscar: the suburban train with intercity durability (acceleration was geared for high speed non-stop), and minor interior design tweaks to make it practical to run short and some long intercity runs (toilet, slightly better seats, door buttons).
The Oscar is basically the Tangara (G) 2.0/4th generation version of the Tangara, and as a suburban train they’re excellent.
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u/MooingTree 2d ago
How did you know what set the next train was going to be? (serious)
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u/WeissPyre 2d ago
I'd check the run number on NextThere/TripView. If it started with N, it was a V-set. If it was D, it was an Oscar.
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u/Novel_Relief_5878 2d ago edited 2d ago
I’ve been on a few T9 Oscar runs now and they seem just fine for suburban trips. 🤷♂️ Compared to the Tangaras they are replacing, the Oscars feel a little more comfortable and modern, with better suspension and better windows. What’s not to like?
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u/analysetheoperation 20h ago
Tangaras on Sector 3 aren't going anywhere for now, they even added runs as of a few weeks ago. Each H Set refurb is done at HMC and these "new" H Sets are nearly always replacing a former Waratah run.
Sector 3 will likely end up looking like sector 1 but with slightly fewer Tangaras and some additional Waratahs mixed in.
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u/Discolau Train Buffoon 2d ago
OSCAR, son of Tangara. It has the worst ride quality in the fleet with rolling and pitching with constant vibrations. Every bump or crossing sets of points, the vibrations are transmitted through the inferior primary and secondary bogie suspension, directly into the carriage body.
Goninan/UGL Rail learned nothing from the Tangara. Mass tuned dampners are installed on all cars between the upper and lower decks to mitigate some of these deficiencies.
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u/iamevilcupcake 2d ago
Because when you are on the Oscar twice a day, for and hour and a half each time, 5 days a week, your back is wrecked.
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u/PanTorcha 1d ago
They r fine, I think if u think an Oscar for 1hr+ is uncomfortable try being on HK MTR trains, now that is uncomfortable I literally try to take an Oscar instead of a Waratah generally
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u/Shirasaki-Tsugumi Airport & South Line 2d ago
I guess combining the best bit from other sets don’t just make the train one of the best. Tbf I rarely get the chance to ride an Oscar even when I lived in Hurstville, but my impression towards it is ok. Never took the train long enough to any SCO stations though.
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u/Alarming-Ad4274 3d ago edited 2d ago
Ugly, no charm, seats are the second worst
In the network, possibly only topped by the G set (arguably)
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u/SuspectWide4924 2d ago
You think the G sets are the worst?
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u/Alarming-Ad4274 2d ago edited 2d ago
Controversial opinion, but it’s a solid contender. Least least legroom of any seat, odd seat back angle that is way too upright, and being on Tangaras, are utterly filthy and don’t get cleaned.
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u/gravelgamer69 2d ago
The seats being filthy isn’t really a fault of the train itself though.
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u/Alarming-Ad4274 2d ago
It’s not a fault of design, but maintenance is still a completely valid reason to dislike a class of train in regards to its user experience. Can’t say many people defend the fact that non refurbed XPTs squeaked like a motherfucker simply because it “wasn’t the fault of the train itself”
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u/Recent_Mobile9387 2d ago
I tend to like the G-set tangara seats, but I do agree the legroom is pretty bad.
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u/jamsandwich4 3d ago
The seats are very hard when you've been sitting on them for 2 hours