High speed
Preliminary testing started at Bombardier’s Vado Ligure plant in April and will continue at the Velim test circuit in September.
Active Lateral Suspension system in conjunction with a “hold off device” which aids performance through curves. When the train traverses a curve at high- speed the carbody might become overly positioned to the right or the left. The system works by automatically adjusting the position of the train to the centre which Orellano says improves the comfort of the ride and has allowed the use of a wider carbody while increasing cross-wind stability.
Five trains of various configurations will be used for certification which began on the first set at Vado Ligure in April.
Orellano says managing heat
produced from the train was another major consideration. “We have built a train that consumes
around 8MW of energy, all of which will be converted to heat,” Orellano says. “So when it is in operation we had to be careful to use a design that prevents hot air which is passing through the cooler from being taken in as cool air in another device. We also took the external aerodynamics into account to identify
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where air might go at different cruising speeds and wind conditions with the aim of making sure that critical components are as cool as possible which is not good for reliability. Bearings for example are susceptible to changes in temperature so we wanted to avoid this effect.” Five trains of various configurations will be used for certification which began on the first set at Vado Ligure in April. Bombardier’s project director Mr Franco Beretta says this is intended to “squeeze the testing process” to meet the completion date of September 2014. He says the first train will be ready immediately after the certification phase is finalised, with delivery of all 50 sets due to be completed by 2017. The first train is currently undergoing
preliminary testing and will be transferred to the Velim test track in the Czech Republic to begin dynamic tests in September. From the second train onwards all tests will be performed on Italian Rail Network (RFI) infrastructure. The second train, which like the first is not yet a complete set, will certify the signalling, braking and traction systems as well as carry out harmonic tests. The third train will conduct running dynamics and test the pantographs’ performance and will be involved in line testing which is due to start in mid-2014 on the Milan - Rome and Milan - Turin
high-speed lines where 360km/h tests will take place. Three vehicles of the fourth set will test climatic performance in a climatic chamber at the Rail Tec Arsenal facility in Vienna between October and December, and will later test aero and acoustic dynamic performance. The fifth set will perform Technical Specification for Interoperability (TSI), EMC tests and along with the first train, will test the multi traction systems. The contract with Trenitalia includes an option for securing a TSI for the train on international networks which would involve adjusting the pantograph and incorporating different signalling systems. Beretta says these options have not yet been exercised so this element of the project is not yet underway. But when it is he envisions that five to 10 of the trains could be adapted for operation outside of Italy.
Having a train that is operable on
foreign networks would support potential bids from Trenitalia for high- speed concessions outside of its home market. Rumours are circulating that this is a future consideration for the Italian operator. And if they are found to have substance, Moretti’s sketch might not just be a symbol of the future of Italian high-speed, but other networks in Europe as well. IRJ
IRJ July 2013
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