New high-speed platforms display stunning speeds, the speed indicator going as far as 400 km/h. But on a market where high-speed development requires investments of billions, even tens of billion euros, a few kilometres more or less count only at marketing level. Energy consumption, reliability of provided solutions and coping with the traffic capacity is what makes the difference in selecting one specific system. Technological differences are sensitive as displayed performances, while each manufacturer tries to gain less ground in technical performances and struggles to provide cheaper, more reliable and more silent designs. New platforms have brought innovations such as the wide range implementation of the non-articulated unit concept, the adaptation of the tilting system to speeds over 300 km/h or the system of variable bogies capable to adapt to different types of gauges.
High Speed competition has also many marketing connotations. Innovation at any cost aims to impress customers, any extra speed kilometre being rather tasked with providing a sensitive competitive advantage. This happens on a market where many partnerships to the most important HS projects will leave no room for technological secrets. Things seem to change as technology supplier countries, such as France and Germany, face competition from the countries that bought Alstom or Siemens technology (such as Spain, South Korea and China). That is why suppliers try more to reduce energy consumption and pollution rather than provide platforms capable to carry passengers at stunning speeds. We can thus say that the 400 km/h threshold is just a psychological limit and it is not capable to incline balance towards one manufacturer or another or even towards high speed rail transport which is still being criticized for the high level of released emissions. High speed train construction based on renewable, light materials, silent propulsion and reduced energy consumption, these are the top priorities of high-speed platform manufacturers.
Competitive advantage: competition between transport capacity and energy consumption
After leading consortiums which introduced the first high-speed trains in South Korea and Spain, Alstom comes with an innovative high-speed train concept, a hybrid between the company’s AGV and Pendolino trains aimed to be the worldwide high-speed technological top. According to specialists, the new generation concept is an attempt to draw Trenitalia’s attention on the new Italian high-speed train at any cost. The Italian national operator’s rival, NTV, will operate the Alstom’s AGV and appreciates the solutions of the French manufacturer’s competitors. Alstom has not revealed the name of its new non-articulated train which is the first such high speed train developed by the French manufacturer. The top product of Bombardier’s ZEFIRO class is Z-30 with ECO4 features and reduced energy consumption. CAF’s OARIS is based on extremely light propulsion systems and components, such as bogies with light helicoidal transmissions and body based on an aluminium-steel combination which ensures the foundation of a light high speed train. Talgo’s AVRIL combines the push-pull concept with multiple-unit features, without reducing the passengers’ area. The engines have a new design which allows their installation below the front and back units, the propulsion being even more silent than in the case of conventional engines. A very important aspect of the Spanish strategy is based on providing the trains with a system of variable bogies a field in which Spanish suppliers are vastly experienced. Therefore, Spanish concepts are compatible with different gauges. Spanish suppliers aim at broad gauge markets, Talgo high-speed units being a relevant example after proving their success in Kazakhstan.Siemens launched the fourth generation of Velaro trains, called Series D or Class 407 in Deutsche Bahn’s fleet and promotes the concept on the Chinese market as well. The aerodynamics of the new Velaro, which has a reduced number of pantographs, will cut energy consumption by 20%.
by Alin Lupulescu
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