Rolling stock
majority of rolling stock being electric, with existing diesel trains cascaded to operate on outlying lines. There will be a continuing emphasis on energy efficiency, with regenerative braking becoming common over the whole network. The actual energy usage of trains will be under scrutiny, with equipment efficiency techniques, on-board energy measurement and storage capability employed. Reductions in train weight, and hence energy consumption, will become ever more important, with the use of new materials and high technology composites being used in car body construction. Air systems will be removed from trains, with electric braking used to bring the train to a standstill. New braking materials will give higher performance, lower weight and better reliability. On-train information systems will develop and ‘wifi’ capability
will become the norm, with passengers demanding totally accurate, continuous real-time information. The notion of ‘way-finding’ whereby the train, the station and local transport connections become part of one integral transport system, will make the presentation and communication of on-board information an expected feature. After years of capital price as the key requirement, whole life cost
will become the norm due to funding requirements and a realisation that the capital price is not the only cost driver. In terms of urban transport, it is likely that more light rail schemes will be promoted, with tram trains, capable of operating on both streets and mainline
networks, becoming commonplace in major cities, causing a modal shift and developing new transport hubs. All trains on London Underground will be fitted with air- conditioning and through-gangways to improve passenger comfort, safety and security. Innovative train architectures will be employed to optimise door positioning, thereby increasing passenger flows and reducing dwell times. Trains will be controlled from integrated control centres allowing better congestion management, and the whole network will move towards on-board signalling, reducing headways. High-speed routes will continue to increase their performance.
The international reference speed is now 360km per hour and this will increase to 400-plus km per hour by the end of the decade, by which time construction of HS2 should be under way.
GRAEME CLARK IS THE ROLLING STOCK SALES MANAGER FOR ALSTOM TRANSPORT UK AND IRELAND
‘On-train information systems will develop and “wifi” capability will become the norm’
Reducing weight and energy usage
Steve Scrimshaw explains how the weight of commuter trains can be reduced by 25 per cent
programme. The UK is the first country to be offered the Desiro City, which offers significantly lower life- cycle costs than other trains operating in the UK. Development of the Desiro
City focused on improving performance for passengers, for drivers, for train operators and for the environment. The track friendliness of
Desiro City
The UK has particularly challenging requirements when it comes to rail, combining city and suburban centres with rural routes and differing passenger volumes. For us, recent innovations in rolling stock design for the UK have focused on key areas to meet this demanding environment,
PAGE 26 JUNE 2010
including highly flexible modular design, weight reduction, energy efficiency and improved passenger comfort and safety. These areas are reflected
in Siemens’ latest offering, the Desiro City train, which was released last summer following a £43m development
the Desiro City is achieved through weight optimised equipment including ‘fly-by- wire’ controls to reduce cable weight, lightweight bogie design, an inboard bearing concept, optimal wheelbase and an aluminium bodyshell. The result is a train that is
25 per cent lighter than current UK fleets, meaning there is less track wear and significantly reduced track access charges. Weight reduction,
combined with energy-saving features such as an advanced driver advisory system and an intelligent air conditioning system that adjusts itself to vehicle loading and intelligent stabling modes, enables primary energy consumption reductions of up to 50 per cent. As a result of these
environmental improvements, it is projected that the Desiro
City train will emit 10g of CO2 per passenger per kilometre under typical conditions. In comparison, planes emit around 175g of CO2
per
passenger kilometre and bus and coach journeys 81g, according to the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI).
STEVE SCRIMSHAW IS THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF ROLLING STOCK FOR SIEMENS MOBILITY
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