Re: what one has to put up with to operate a European cross border service
- From: "Lüko Willms" <l.willms@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 26 May 2007 21:10:44 +0200
Am Sat, 26 May 2007 15:05:13 UTC, schrieb "Lüko Willms"
<l.willms@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> auf uk.railway :
The idea was born in 2001 when Deutsche Bahn first gave permission to
allow French TGVs to operate on German track on the Paris to Stuttgart
route.
This is as false as many other "details" in the report of someone
who has obviously no clue of the railway.
More serious information in an english language press release of
Deutsche Bahn at this URL:
<http://die.bahn.de/site/bahn/en/db__group/corporate__group/group__affairs/dt__franz__hgv.html>
and a press release about the certification of the ICE 3 for France
in english language which I allow myself to quote in full:
------ cut --------------
ICE 3 Homologation for France in Sight
Technical adjustments to the vehicle necessary / Test runs at 320 km/h
/ Preparations for TGV Homologation in Germany
Deutsche Bahn is about to reach an important milestone en route to
high-speed European traffic: the final test runs for homologation of
the ICE 3 in France are currently in progress at speeds of up to 320
kilometres per hour on the 280-kilometre line between Lyon and
Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. The central focus of this test
programme is the sensitive area of the pantographs. These test runs
mark the end of the practical part of the homologation process for the
ICE 3 in France and pave the way for its use in Franco-German rail
operations, which will begin in 2007 with a direct service between
Paris - Eastern France - Frankfurt run by DB and SNCF.
The most important finding from the test series is that the ICE 3 will
satisfy the specific national requirements in force in France. At the
same time, the tests will reveal any supplementary measures required
to adapt the vehicles for the French rail network.
The international ICE 3M -- "M" stands for multi-system -- which
features technology specially developed and constructed for use in
cross-border operations and which is already in use in the
Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium, will then also be able to cope
with the special technology required for France. Homologation in
France is an important milestone in two respects: on the one hand,
this will improve the range of transport products for DB customers and
therefore strengthen the railways' position in competition with air
and private car transport in a highly interesting market. On the other
hand, this milestone means that the rail industry can now offer a
high-speed train with pan-European operating ability.
When developing the multi-system ICE 3 vehicle, the engineers paid
particular attention to fundamental technical peculiarities required
for international operations right from the start. The problem,
however, was that the entire technical spectrum required was not known
from the beginning. The most distinctive feature of the ICE 3M is that
it has six pantographs on the roof, showing that the train can run
under various current and catenary systems. Some of the countries in
which it will run actually have more than one current system: 15 kV in
Germany, Austria and Switzerland, 1.5 kV and 25 kV in the Netherlands,
3 kV and 25 kV in Belgium, 1.5 kV and 25 kV in France.
Learning from each other
Deutsche Bahn was responsible for the homologation process in
cooperation with the ICE 3 consortium leader Siemens, in consultation
with Bombardier, and with the technical support of SNCF, the French
national railway.
The ICE 3M has repeatedly undergone test operations in France over the
past four years, covering a distance of more than 100,000 kilometres
in the process. The main routes used for these high-speed tests were
Strasbourg - Mulhouse and Roissy-Charles de Gaulle - Lille - Calais.
In September, it will be tested on the Lyon to Aix-en-Provence route.
To enable the German high-speed train to run at its scheduled speed of
320 kilometres per hour on the French network -- as planned on the
route section between Baudrecourt and Vaires in the service from
Frankfurt to Paris to be inaugurated in 2007 -- it has already been
tested at speeds of up to 353 km/h in previous test series.
After years of active preparations, practical tests began in France in
2001. Parallel to this, in 2002 the EU approved the TSI standards
(Technical Specifications for Interoperability) which stipulate the
EU-wide technical standards for interoperable -- i.e. cross-border --
high-speed rail operations, providing a frame of reference for all
parties involved in the process.
Throughout the course of several test phases, adjustments were
continuously made to the vehicle in order to satisfy the special
requirements of French operations. In the meantime, this has revealed
the overall picture of the supplementary measures required for the ICE
3M. They refer primarily to the eddy-current brake control, the
separation points in the overhead line for the pantograph, train door
control system, aerodynamic adjustment of the underfloor area to
prevent ballast flurry, and the extremely sophisticated technology of
the French train protection systems. According to the railway
industry, the total costs of adjustment of the ICE 3M will amount to a
good eight million euros per multiple unit. To date, DB has already
invested around 28 million euros in the homologation process.
Control of the eddy-current brake
The ICE 3 has also been fitted with an eddy-current brake to boost the
brake force. The attraction of this brake is that it functions without
contact and thus has extremely low wear. To boost the brake force, the
eddy-current brake is automatically activated on the German network at
speeds of more than 150 km/h, or also in case of any emergency braking
to reduce the braking distance. In services on the French network, the
brake will only operate as from speeds of 220 km/h and, in
consideration of the track construction there, its braking effect will
be reduced by approximately half in normal operations. This will not
entail any disadvantages, as the French network is generally designed
for lower deceleration.
Separation points in the overhead line
The French overhead line network has what are known as phase
separation points -- so-called neutral sections -- which the train
"recognises" automatically and shuts down when passing these points.
This peculiar feature of the French network is of no relevance on
German lines, but these automatic procedures when passing the
separation points had to be optimised in the ICE 3M -- an extremely
demanding task.
Train door control
The electronic control systems for the train doors have to be modified
to satisfy the French requirements for low-level platforms and
emergency opening mechanisms.
Adjustment of the underfloor area
The aerodynamics of the vehicle at high speeds have been changed in
the underfloor area. Some of the components mounted openly to the
underbody will be given spoiler-type attachments. This changes the
airflow and helps prevent harmful ballast flurry, which can cause
damage to components along the line and on the vehicle.
French train protection systems
The French train protection systems pose a particular challenge, as
two diametrically opposed philosophies face each other here. However,
the different equipment systems could be configured and integrated
thanks to comprehensive support from SNCF. Alongside train control
techniques which have proved successful in Germany, viz. intermittent
train control ("PZB") on conventional lines and continuous train
control ("LZB") on high-speed lines, the ICE 3M will now also be
equipped with the systems KVB ("contrôle de vitesse par balises") and
TVM ("transmission voie-machine") for operations in France. The
multiple unit will also be prepared for ETCS, the future European
Train Control System. It must be remembered that in addition to the
above train control systems, the systems for use in the Netherlands,
Belgium and Switzerland must also remain available and fully
functioning.
Homologation test runs for the TGV in Germany at the end of the year
On completion of the ICE 3M test runs on the French high-speed
network, the railway engineers will then have to tackle the paperwork.
The final documentation will be prepared in German and French and the
files resulting from five years of work handed over to SNCF, which
will then inform the French supervisory authority, a sub-directorate
of the Ministry of Transport, which then officially announces
homologation. The necessary document will be available in time for the
inauguration of passenger services between Paris and Frankfurt in
2007.
The procedures that ICE 3M will have completed by the end of September
2005 will then face the TGV POS (POS: "Paris - Ostfrankreich -
Süddeutschland", i.e. Paris - Eastern France - Southern Germany). SNCF
has commissioned Alstom with the development of new power cars for use
in cross-border high-speed services. The first TGV equipped with one
of these power cars will be tested in Germany as from the end of
November 2005, in order to obtain homologation for the German rail
network. SNCF commissioned DB Technik with performance of this
homologation programme, which will be supported by the engineering
experts of Deutsche Bahn, primarily from DB Systemtechnik. The
programme is scheduled for completion by next summer. DB will then
apply to the Federal Railway Office (EBA), the German rail supervisory
authority, on behalf of SNCF to have the authorisation for use
certificate issued for the TGV POS on German lines.
Last modified: 23.09.2006
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Source<http://die.bahn.de/site/bahn/en/db__group/corporate__group/group__aff
airs/ice__3__homologation__france.html>
There is also a DB press release in english on the homologation of
the French TGV for the German network:
<http://die.bahn.de/site/bahn/en/db__group/corporate__group/group__affairs/tgv__test__runs.html>
Yours,
L.W.
.
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