HIGH SPEED RAIL

(1) Speed has always been a highly desirable goal for the engineers in their attempts to perfect rail transport. By reducing journey time significantly, rail becomes an effective alternative for both road and air travel.

(2) Just as Great Britain was a birthplace of locomotives in the 19^th century,Japan became a high-speed pioneer in the 20^th century. By the 1960s railways were regarded in many countries as an outdated mode of transport with slow train speeds and steam traction still around. October 1964, when the world’s first high-speed line Tokaido Shinkansen opened to the public, became a pivotal point in railway development. The bullet train (called so because of its stream-lined shape and the speed of 210km/h) was a major leap forward in railway technology and paved the way for high-speed rail (HSR) revolution now sweeping through Asia and Europe. At present Japan has the most heavily travelled, and the largest HSR network in the world.

(3) Typically, high-speed trains travel at top speeds of between 250km/h (on upgraded conventional lines) and over 300km/h (on new dedicated lines). The world record for a wheeled train was set in 2007 by a French TGV that reached a speed of 575km/h. Japan is still in the vanguard of high-speed R&D with the world’s fastest experimental Maglev train (the absolute train speed record of 581km/h). The Maglev train based on the principle of magnetic levitation can be likened to a flying train or a guided aircraft, supported by the force of powerful magnets. The train is not in commercial operation yet, and high costs remain as barriers. Anyway, Maglev technology is often called the rail industry’s rising star.

(4) Europe’s railways entered the high-speed era at the beginning of the 1980s. The acronyms¹ and branding such as TGV, ICE and AVE have become familiar to rail travellers and general public.

Francehas perhaps the most developed high-speed network in Europe. The TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) network started in 1981 with the opening of Europe’s first dedicated high-speed line between Lyon and Paris.

There have been three generations of TGV, two single-deck, and the Duplex double-deck version. The first generation of TGVs in 1981 mastered the high speed of 270km/h. The second generation in 1989 mastered comfort at high speed. The third Duplex generation TGVs from 1997 mastered comfort, capacity, and economy at the speed of 320km/h. Currently Alstom is building a radical new design of TGV called AGV. The fourth generation of TGV will take advantage of the latest advances in technology and will meet the new Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI)² for high-speed trains. The first train AGV able to operate at 350km/h should roll out of the factory in 2007. The TGV network with six high-speed lines gradually spread out to other cities, and into other countries such as Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, Holland, the UK and Italy .

(5) In Germany, high-speed operation commenced in 1991 with InterCity Express (ICE) trains. Starting in 2000, multisystem third-generation ICE trains entered the Netherlands and Belgium. The third generation of the ICE developed by Siemens reaches a speed up to 363km/h.

(6) In the United Kingdom, Eurostar trains which run through the Channel Tunnel between the UK and both France and Belgium, are modified versions of the TGV trains. The first Eurostars entered service in 1994 and immediately started to compete strongly against air. Within a short time, Eurostar has captured a 69% market share on the London–Paris axis, which had one of the busiest air corridors in Europe. A fully loaded train of 794 passengers is equivalent to seven Boeing 737s. It is also the only train service in the world with airline-style check-in³ procedures imposed for security.

Section 1 of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) has a line speed of 300km/h and is concerned mostly with international trains. The opening of phase two of the CTRL2 in 2007 will provide journey times of 1h 20min to Lille, 1h 51min to Brussels, and 2h 15min to Paris. Many French people work in London during the week, and at weekends about 80% of them use Eurostar (which runs every half an hour) to get back to France.

(7) The AVE (Alta Velocidad Española) high-speed rail network in Spain was started with the opening of Madrid-Sevilla route in 1992.

The latest Spanish high-speed train Velaro with a top speed of 350km/h is the fastest series-produced train worldwide travelling 600km between Barcelona and Madrid in only 2.5 hours. The Spanish government has also entered into several agreements with France and Portugal in accordance with the European strategic goal – to connect all the major European cities by high-speed rail.

The state-of-the-art modular trains, which are designed to meet European interoperability standards, come in two versions: a tilting Pendolino, and non-tilting train for 250km/h shuttle services. Alstom’s Pendolino is by far the market leader with its sophisticated elect-ronics, extensive computerization and tilt system. Journey times have been dramatically reduced by the Pendolino which is almost as fast on curves as it is on the straight lines, and can run on standard tracks

(9) The major passenger carrier in the United States, Amtrak, has been operating Acela Express trains on the northeast corridor between Boston, New York and Washington since 2000.

These trains tilt on curves along the track, the average speed being about 132km//h (which is much lower than that in Europe or Asia). The Acela train has definite similarities to its ‘parent’, the TGV train, using existing and proven technologies from Bombardier and Alstom.

(10) The HSR map of the world is increasingly expanding now. Membership of the once highly exclusive HSR club is steadily growing. The length of the HSR network will more than double worldwide in the next 10 years, increasing to 14,400km by 2015. This decade will see the completion of the majority of the European high-speed network in France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Britain, and the Netherlands. Taiwan has just joined the Asian high-speed club, following Japan and Korea. China Star, the first high-speed train produced in Chinausing its own intellectual rights, has successfully completed a series of tests. China has the world’s only commercial Maglev line.

(11) As for Ukraine, it only makes its first steps in this direction. In 2002, the first express train of higher comfort Capital Express departed from Kharkiv to Kyiv. Since then, some more expresses have entered service on the most popular routes. Convenient carriages of the first and business class, attractive interior, perfect service and few intermediate stops make the journey not only faster but more pleasant as well.

(12) Мuch of the technology behind HSR is compatible with existing infrastructure. The trend in Europe seems to be away from dedicated high-speed passenger railways towards mixed traffic lines for maximum benefit. Mixed traffic lines are usually reserved for high-speed passenger trains during the daytime, while freight trains go at night.

(13) The last generation of high-speed trains is designed to improve ride quality, reduce noise and consume less energy, and thereby be more environmentally friendly. New technical developments are leading to lighter, more-aerodynamic trains, which cost less per seat to op erate.

The Japanese N700, planned for service in 2007, incorporates the latest technologies, such as inter-car hoods⁵ to reduce external noise, a nose shape with superior aerodynamic performance. It is also the first Shinkansen train to feature an air-spring-based tilting system⁶ which allows the train to operate at higher speeds through curves. The double-wing nose shape (so called because of its resemblance to a bird) was developed on the basis of the latest analysis technology, used in the development of aircraft wings, for the first time in a rail vehicle.

A new generationof Shinkansen trains FASTECH 360 with a top speed of 405km/h is currently under development. Its name is a combination of Fast, Technology, and the operational speed of 360 km/h. FASTECH 360 trains are equipped with ear-like air brakes for emergency halt protruding⁷ from the roof. In Japan the train got a nickname ‘cat-eared Shinkansen’. FASTECH 360 trains will have an arrow-line shape with a ‘duck-bill nose’. Like most high-speed trains, FASTECH 360 will have distributed traction instead of power cars. The modular concept implies grouping cars in two three-car sections linked together with a so-called key car. Production trains are expected to enter service in 2011.

¹ acronym – акронім (слово, що сформовано з перших літер словосполучення)

² Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI) – технічні вимоги до експлуатаційної сумісності

³ check-in procedures – процедура реєстрації

⁴ lean into a bend – нахилятися на схилах

⁵ inter-car hoods – міжвагонний обтічник

⁶ air-spring-based tilting system – пневматична система нахилу кузова

⁷ protruding – що виступають