The carriages can use an external head end power supply for lighting and air conditioning operation.

Each carriage has two swing doors per side, which were originally manually opened by passengers, but have since been converted to powered operation, and they are locked or unlocked by the conductor.

[3] As part of the state government's "New Deal for Country Passengers" in 1981, the order was increased to 54 carriages,[4] and then to 57 due to cost savings during construction.

In October 2007, the first refurbished N type carriage was released into traffic with the new V/Line grey exterior livery, as well as updated interior curtains and seat fabrics.

[citation needed] Two-stage air-conditioning was fitted for summer, and heating elements placed underneath the carpet for winter.

Those systems, along with those for lighting and announcements, were powered by three-phase alternators, fixed to the underframe of each carriage.

One unisex toilet was provided at the west end of each carriage, along with hot water for each wash basin, fed from a 635-litre pressurised tank.

Inter-carriage access diaphragms are constructed with rubber tubing, in place of the earlier method using canvas attached to steel frames.

Each bogie weighed 7000 kg, with a wheelbase of 2,445mm and a maximum axle load of 14 tonnes, and were designed for operation at up to 130 km/h.

To accommodate the extra load, the ACN and BN were upgraded midway through construction to a 35kVA supply, and the programming reworked so that the BRN would not power adjacent cars.

Weeks 1 to 7 involved the general structure - welding the shell and the underframe together and attaching the ends.

A mineral fibre insulation was sprayed on internal surfaces between weeks 12-14, and then the final six weeks the internal fibreglass ceiling and wall sheets were fitted, along with carpet, seats, lighting, doors and other components, with a one-week trial at the end.

Additionally, the carriages are between five and eight tonnes heavier than comparable designs overseas, partially due to their being a compromise between regional and commuter type vehicles.

[12] The shells of the carriages were constructed with Lyten Steel, selected for its high strength and anti-corrosion properties.

However, a derailment in late 2011 revealed that set SN1 on the standard gauge still had autocouplers between the carriages.

Carriage shell number 19 was delayed in construction as it was selected for the trial buffet module equipment.

The buffet modules, developed by Smallwood & Leibert, were intended to fit through the carriage doorways and then be assembled in situ.

The new carriage design was tested on daily return trips from Melbourne to Bendigo, with additional runs to Albury and Gippsland before it officially entered service.

Sets were issued to traffic with three types of carriage: The BRN cars were a late addition to the concept, and the majority had their final two windows on the buffet side merely painted over.

[19] The fifth set entered service on 19 June, running Tuesdays to Friday on the 7am from Ballarat to Spencer Street with the return departure at 5:58pm.

All other services were to be provided by the existing S, Z and airconditioned E carriages, plus interurban Comeng type trains running to Traralgon.

All carriages were to be formed into semi-fixed 3 or 4-car sets, with schedules built around standard consists to keep runs fast and simple.

Further rebalancing of stock allowed the N sets to run on Dimboola trains, as accelerated schedules made return trips practical.

[21] The fleet roster at the time was expected to last at least until the end of October, at which point half of the N cars would have been delivered.

"SSS" is shorthand for Spencer Street station, meaning the platforms and not indicating the shunt in or out of yards.

The additional ACN-BN-BN set ran the 0615 (formerly 0620) from South Geelong, going on to form the 0755 to Horsham; after returning to Melbourne it replaced the former 1315 railcar and trailer to Shepparton, as the new 1255 departure running parallel to the outbound Warrnambool.

[23] Around the same time, the proposals for Comeng interurban trains for the Traralgon line were dropped, as they would not have been available until 1986; and so concepts for further carriages following the delivery of the 54 N cars were being prepared.

This included regularly running on the Gippsland line in lieu of the proposed interurban services.

The new Bairnsdale line timetable from 28 August 2018 brought an end to locomotive-hauled trains on 2 out of 3 daily services.

[32] Following the withdrawal of N sets on the Albury line, there were 4 sets of N cars no longer required, which were distributed to heritage organisations and storage facilities: On 5 October 2022, it was announced that from 23 October, all Shepparton services would now operate using VLocity units, this has been delayed until further notice due to flooding at Shepparton.