{"id":446223,"date":"2026-01-30T00:30:27","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T00:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/446223\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T00:30:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T00:30:27","slug":"nsw-v-set-passenger-train-makes-its-last-stops-giving-enthusiasts-a-chance-to-say-goodbye","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/446223\/","title":{"rendered":"NSW V-Set passenger train makes its last stops giving enthusiasts a chance to say goodbye"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many, the garish purple interiors of V-Set passenger train carriages bring back fond childhood memories of travelling from regional NSW to Sydney.<\/p>\n

But after 55 years on the tracks, the beloved “steel rattlers” have reached the end of the line.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

‘Blue Goose’ V-Set makes its final journey from Lithgow to Central Station in Sydney. (ABC News: Abubakr Sajid)<\/p>\n

On Friday morning, the intercity workhorse rolled out of Lithgow for the last time painted in its original royal blue and grey ‘Blue Goose’ colours.<\/p>\n

The 5:57am service stopped at most Blue Mountains Line stations before terminating at Sydney’s Central Station, about 20 minutes later than expected due to demand.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Although the final service V-Set train has been painted in the original royal blue, the more recent fleet was known for its yellow front exterior. (ABC News: Liam Patrick)<\/p>\n

First released in 1970, the V-Set trains continued to be manufactured for 19 years, with the more recent fleet known for its yellow front exterior.<\/p>\n

Transport management lecturer Geoffrey Clinton from the University of Sydney puts its success down to the modern edge the series brought when it first hit the tracks.<\/p>\n

“They had things like automatic [closing] doors and air conditioning, which was obviously quite an important thing, particularly in our hot summers and cold winters,” Dr Clinton said.\"A<\/p>\n

Dr Clinton says the V-Set passenger train was ahead of its time. (Supplied: University of Sydney)<\/p>\n

The V-Set’s distinctive reversible seats also proved to be a drawcard, affording people a sense of autonomy in choosing who they sat with.<\/p>\n

“There’s a lot of people who formed friendships on those trains and that’s because people would take the same carriage on the same train every day to and from work or school,” Dr Clinton said.<\/p>\n

“I know stories about people who would have Friday drinks on the train as a carriage and you play card games and whatnot.”<\/p>\n

\"Mr<\/p>\n

Mr Thomas is a fan of the V-Set train. (Supplied: Paul Thomas)<\/p>\n

Public transport enthusiast Paul Thomas travelled up to Lithgow to board the V-Set train’s victory lap.<\/p>\n

The social media vlogger embarked on the journey with hundreds of others early on Friday morning, with the belief its final trip would be a celebration as opposed to a sombre occasion.<\/p>\n

“I was at Lithgow Station at five in the morning,” he said.<\/p>\n

“There were lots of people there, probably 300 or 400 rail fans, waiting for this train to come in.”<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

‘Blue Goose’ V-Set train on its debut in October 1977 at Katoomba. (ABC News)<\/p>\n

Mr Thomas said it was quite the party in the second car, but in his carriage the atmosphere was quite civilised.<\/p>\n

Demand to board the Blue Goose’s final run caused delays to the service, leaving eager commuters waiting on station platforms. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Thousands packed Sydney’s Central Station this morning to say goodbye.\u00a0 (ABC News: Abubakr Sajid)<\/p>\n

But for some passengers, the wait brought back the feeling of nostalgia rather than frustration.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“It brings back those childhood memories,” said Katie Laws, who brought her family to Penrith Station to watch the model roll next to the platform for the final time.<\/p>\n

“The trains being late helps too \u2026 bringing back those memories of waiting and getting on the train, running for the train.”<\/p>\n

\"Commuters<\/p>\n

The V-Set class has been replaced with the Mariyung Fleet. (ABC News: Anushri Sood)<\/p>\n

The V-Set class will be succeeded by the Mariyung Fleet, which has already replaced trains on the Central Coast and Newcastle lines.<\/p>\n

Despite passengers being unable to flip the seats on the newer model, train devotees welcome the trade-off for larger bathrooms and a quieter journey.<\/p>\n

Aged just 10 years old, Zedd woke up at 5am to board the train with his dad.<\/p>\n

He told the ABC he would miss travelling to the mountains on the Blue Goose, but was excited to be “part of history”.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“This is one of the best trains on the inner-city network,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Also, this train is just nostalgic.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Zedd says he was excited to be “part of history”.\u00a0 (ABC News.)<\/p>\n

‘An emotional moment’<\/p>\n

Thousands eagerly packed Central Station to watch the train terminate for the final time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As the last passengers of the V-Set disembarked, they were greeted to fanfare and a live band.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Transport Minister John Graham said it was an emotional day for not only Sydney’s rail network, but generations of commuters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“There’s no question these V-Sets will be really missed as they retire today,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Incredible to have so many people down here… as we wave off for the final time these V-set trains.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Transport Minister John Graham and V-Set train driver Peter Gunczy. (ABC News: Abubakr Sajid)<\/p>\n

Long-serving train driver, Peter Gunczy, said he was honoured to be given the opportunity to retire the fleet.<\/p>\n

“I’ve spent the best part of 41 years driving these V-Sets,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“It’s really, really emotional for me personally. I’m trying really hard to not well up.”Public to decide future of V-Set train carriages<\/p>\n

The ‘Blue Goose’ V-Set used for the final service will be preserved for future train enthusiasts, with the fate of the other 81 retired carriages up to the public.<\/p>\n

Dr Clinton expects most will be turned into scrap metal, but hopes to see some provided with a new life.<\/p>\n

“In the past, we’ve seen them being repurposed as cafes and for accommodation,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Train carriages around the world have also been repurposed for things like artificial reefs, as they make a good artificial reef.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For many, the garish purple interiors of V-Set passenger train carriages bring back fond childhood memories of travelling…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":446224,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,231385,51125,231386,231388,32482,202761,231387,44,2733,58365,106857,16861,35147,69471,231384,231390,231389],"class_list":["post-446223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-blue-goose","tag-blue-mountains","tag-central-station","tag-geoffrey-clinton","tag-last","tag-lithgow","tag-mariyung-fleet","tag-news","tag-nsw","tag-passenger","tag-train","tag-transport","tag-trip","tag-university-of-sydney","tag-v-set","tag-what-will-happen-to-the-v-set-train","tag-when-is-the-last-v-set-train"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=446223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/446224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=446223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=446223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=446223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}