Rolling stock - Articles and news items

Innovative trainsets for cross-border traffic

Issue 1 2006, Past issues / 14 February 2006 /

The German railway industry has long been considered a world leader with its innovative products. This also underscores the economic success in a generally difficult market. During the first half of 2005, the German rolling stock industry delivered more than half of its vehicles to foreign customers.

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Britain’s new look rolling stock

Issue 4 2005, Past issues / 3 November 2005 /

During the last few years, Britain’s railways have seen a massive investment in new rolling stock to replace around 40% of the national fleet.

This is in complete contrast to the last years of the nationalised railway, especially in the lead up to privatisation when government policy allowed no new rolling stock to be ordered for more than three years. Since 1996, train operating companies (TOCs) have, together with the rolling stock leasing companies (ROSCO), been at the vanguard of a £4.5 billion investment which has seen the introduction of more than 4,700 new train carriages, transforming the travel experience for passengers on many routes up and down the country. Of course, introducing complete new fleets across the network is challenging and not problem free.

New trains have also been a contributory factor in Britain now having the fastest growing railway in Europe. Their introduction has allowed operators to revolutionise services by introducing more innovative and reliable services.

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British rolling stock market enters a lull

Issue 4 2005, Past issues / 3 November 2005 /

The post-privatisation train building gold rush in the UK is over. Rolling stock manufacturers face a lean time over the next few years.

Privatisation of the British railway industry has not eased the boom-and-bust nature of the rolling stock supply sector. If anything, it has made it worse. A boom in building over the past decade, as the private sector train operators renewed their train fleets, is now being followed by a lull in orders.

Governmental action has not helped in smoothing out the peaked nature of the orders in recent years. Commuting flows into London are heavy from the south side of the British capital, and the large fleet of trains deployed to handle this traffic comprised Mk 1 standard stock from the 1960s, with slam doors. The crashworthiness of this stock was lower than that of modern stock and the slam doors posed a potential safety hazard at stations. For these reasons the Government required the industry to introduce an accelerated programme of Mk 1 withdrawal, with all the old trains to be gone by the end of November 2005.

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CORADIA LIREX for Stockholm

Issue 3 2005, Past issues / 23 August 2005 /

From the LIREX Experimental to the CORADIA LIREX for Stockholm – how a new generation test vehicle became a series train.

In April 2002, SL (Stockholm’s Lokaltrafik), the authority for public transport in Stockholm, awarded ALSTOM a contract for 55 six-car CORADIA LIREX trains, with an option for 50 more. They will replace part of the Pendeltåg fleet operated by Citypendeln, which carries over 230,000 passengers daily. These trains have been developed from the LIREX Experimental train and adapted to fit the specific Swedish operating conditions. (more…)

Inside Swiss trains

Issue 3 2005, Past issues / 23 August 2005 /

The demands placed in Sweden on our vehicles of long-distance travel differ considerably from those in other countries. For instance, in our small yet densely populated country, dedicated high speed lines, with trains running at 300km/h or more, do not make sense.

Nevertheless, we have some new lines for fast-moving traffic, but these have mostly been aligned in tunnels to reconcile them with concerns of landscape protection. They allow a top speed of just 200km/h, this being a pre-condition for making our enhanced regular-interval timetable of the Rail 2000 scheme work.

This new system timetable, in operation since 12 December 2004, connects the cities in a half-hourly rhythm. In the stations of the big hubs, trains arrive shortly before 30 minutes and 60 minutes and depart a few minutes after, providing for smooth connections among themselves and with the regional and S-Bahn trains that are integrated into the system.

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Alpine stream of rolling stock orders

Issue 2 2005, Past issues / 31 May 2005 /

Switzerland and Austria are investing heavily in new locomotives for trans-Alpine freight work, along with regional trains for local passenger networks.

Switzerland’s railways have benefited in past years from a pro-rail political consensus that has allowed heavy investment in the network. The latest fruit of this policy was the opening of the Mattstetten-Rothrist cut-off line in December last year, which allowed implementation of the Bahn 2000 timetable with its standard-interval pattern and enhanced end-to-end journey times. Work is proceeding on the Simplon and Gotthard base tunnels under the Alps, which will boost capacity on these routes.

Rail patronage in the country reflects the excellent standard of service that steady investment has made possible. The average Swiss citizen makes 40 train journeys each year, more than any other country in Europe (the figure for the next in the league, Denmark, is 28).

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Rolling stock market pauses in Germany

Issue 1 2005, Past issues / 2 March 2005 /

As the flotation of DB is debated, spending has been cut back at Germany’s state rail operator. Germany, the biggest market for rolling stock manufacturers in Europe, is drawing a breath. After massive investment in the past 15 years in the high speed network and big spending on the train fleet in the former East Germany to bring it up to the standards in the west, procurement is being scaled back.

Like all state-owned enterprises, DB (German Rail) is having to play its part in Germany’s efforts to keep within the spending restrictions imposed by the European Economic & Monetary Union. In addition, efforts are being made by DB to improve its balance sheet with a view to possible stock market flotation in a couple of years’ time.

All this has meant spending cutbacks at the biggest customer for new trains in Europe.

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Bombardier’s latest locomotives

Issue 1 2005, Past issues / 2 March 2005 /

In December 2004, SBB Cargo received the first of 18 TRAXX multi-system locomotives Re 484 (Figure 1). This marks a new era for the TRAXX locomotive platform, extending its range into Italy.

SBB Cargo uses the Re 484 for freight shuttle services between Switzerland and Italy, operating over all three border stations: Domodossola, Luino and Chiasso. It complements the Re 482 which operates north between the Swiss and German rail networks. With both locomotive types, Re 482 and Re 484, SBB Cargo is now an autonomous provider of freight services on the north-south routes between Germany and Italy.

The design, production and homologation of the Re 484 for operation in Italy and Switzerland were completed exactly on schedule. As a TRAXX MS platform locomotive, the Re 484 builds strongly on the TRAXX F140 AC. The TRAXX AC and MS locomotives are very similar. They have the same carbody, bogies, machine rooms and driver’s cab. The differences can be found in the additional equipment provided for operation on 1.5 and 3kVDC catenaries. The usage of the TRAXX platform, with its proven and well-known equipment, was a key to obtaining the network acceptance for the Re 484 in Switzerland and Italy within only six months. Furthermore, Bombardier’s experience with the Italian rail network, that is, with the locomotives E 412, E 405 and E 464, was invaluable for meeting the SBB Cargo targets. (more…)

V250 high speed train

Issue 1 2005, Past issues / 2 March 2005 /

The EMU V250 train is designed for the high speed line (HSL) being constructed which connects Belgium to Holland. This is the first train fully compliant with the TSI interoperability standard as well as with applicable European EN and UIC standards. This train is also the first substantial accomplishment of the future European high speed train (HTE).

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