International Railway Journal - July 2008 - (Page 41)

China/Russia technology has reached the right level of stability and reliability in lowerspeed designs, it was felt that it was now appropriate to introduce them in high-performance applications such as Velaro. Except for a few national modifications (such as low-temperature capability), the Russian Velaro trains adopted the 25kV traction system from the Chinese version. State-of-the-art semiconductor technology was brought to bear on the multi-system train configurations, permitting direct connection of the 3kV dc traction dc link to the overhead contact line and eliminating the need for the elaborate circuitry that was needed on ICE3. The standards governing electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) in Russia are stringent and specify limiting values that are considerably below those in Europe. For this reason, additional special filters and new technologies are implemented to ensure EMC. To ensure a low-risk project startup for construction of the Chinese trains, the majority of which are being built in China, and to provide a final design before the start of production in Tangshan, a plan was drawn up whereby the first three trains were to be built in Germany, while the Chinese partner’s facility was to be expanded at the same time for production of the remaining 57. Chinese employees were then trained in the skills necessary for manufacturing such highlysophisticated trains as part of an extensive transfer of technology. The facility in Tangshan is expected to produce up to four Velaros per month. Thanks to the cooperation of everyone involved, the development of the trains and the start of production proceeded so smoothly that the original delivery dates set out in the contract could be brought forward by several months at the request of the MoR. The first train produced in Germany arrived in China in January. Consequently, a comprehensive test programme in China was able to commence in February. This was closely followed at the beginning of March by the commissioning of the first Chinese-built train which, only 10 weeks after completion of individual car manufacture, succeeded in reaching a maximum speed of 374.2km/h on the Beijing - Tianjin line. If the tests continue to prove so successful, it will be possible to have five trains operating on the Beijing - Tianjin line by the 2008 Olympics. The extensive experience gained during Velaro’s development has been decisive in producing the designs for the Chinese and Russian Velaros. The technological advances are all fed into the technological core of the Velaro in the form of continual developments and improvements to the base technology. This also underscores Velaro’s fitness for the future as a truly European multiple system and interoperable multiple unit for operation at speeds up to 360km/h. IRJ This article was written by: Dipl-Ing Edzard Lübben, head of sales, highspeed & intercity trains; Dipl-Ing Martin Steuger, head of the Velaro Platform; Ernst Reuss, Velaro project director for China; Dipl-Phys David John, Velaro RUS project director; and Dipl-Ing Monika Bayrhof, personal assistant to head of business segment. The cab in the Chinese Velaro will have a conventional layout. IRJ July 2008 41

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of International Railway Journal - July 2008

International Railway Journal - July 2008 Contents This Month News Transit News Market News/Technology News News Analysis Conference Report Korean Railways Face a Bright Future Korean Exports Surge Ahead Ready to Roll in China Velaro Shows Eastern Promise Are You Sitting Comfortably? Compin Meets New Challenges The Fabric of Society Grinding Out a Result Rendezvous Full Contact List The Last Word

International Railway Journal - July 2008

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