Inside CityRail's new 'European-style' trains

FIRST ON 7: Sydney train passengers will be guinea pigs for a trial of European-style bench seating.

The government says it will get more passengers to work quicker, but the controversial trade-off is fewer seats, leaving more commuters standing.

There are benches down one side and double seats on the other, with a lot of standing room in the middle.

It has the look and feel of a European metro, but it is a modified double-deck Tangara about to carry Western Sydney passengers.

"This is the first time it's ever happened in Sydney, so we're keen to see how the customers will react to having bench-style seating," RailCorp's Tony Eid said.

There is also a second carriage with a different layout. Both will be attached to a peak-hour western line service in coming weeks.

It is hoped the extra room will stop people gathering at the ends of carriages, causing delays at each stop.

"It's about us being innovative and if the feedback is positive, we'll consider extending it, if not, we'll go back to what it was," Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian said.

It doesn't just look and feel different, the new configuration means there will be 16 fewer seats, but there is a trade-off.

There will be an estimated 40 extra passengers on each carriage, even if some have to stand.

It could infuriate some passengers, with one commuter telling 7News his commute time is over an hour and would not enjoy standing.

While other passengers say that anything to speed up the network would be beneficial.

RailCorp claims the seats will only fill up once the train is close to the city.

CityRail staff will be standing by for any feedback.

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