Automotrice à grande vitesse

As AGV (French grande vitesse à Automotrice, high-speed railcars '), the French manufacturer of rail vehicles Alstom is a family of high-speed trainsets. The trains are regarded as the successor to the TGV.

Initially, the project was - as already the development of the TGV - funded jointly by Alstom and SNCF. After the latter withdrew, the AGV has been developed alone by Alstom for series production.

The Italian operator NTV leads the trains under the series designation ETR 575

History

Development

The development costs are stated at 100 million euros.

In the development phase of the vehicles, special emphasis was placed on the design of the trains. About 20 designers were involved according to the manufacturer in the design of the new unit train. The design of the front fascia was similar to that of a fighter jet.

Prototypes

Back in 2000, as was a " grande vitesse à Automotrice " designated, under-floor driven train as a prototype under construction. A consortium of Alstom and CAF offered, these trains, in addition to two other TGV variants of the Spanish RENFE to a call from 26 to 40 trains for the high-speed line Madrid- Barcelona. The designed for a maximum operating speed of 350 km / h set was designed as Gelenktriebzug with Jacob bogies under a Radsatzlastung not exceeding 17 tonnes. Each axis of the three middle car was powered by three-phase asynchronous motors with 600 kW of power. In the end cars that were performed in order to safeguard the Radsatzhöchstlast three-axis, the 6.5 -ton transformers were housed. A ten-part train should provide 411 travelers place. All new components have been previously tested in TGV trains.

A first prototype should (as of early 2001 ) are from March 2001 to the first tests. A prototype car with a driver's cab and a prototype intermediate car should it be coupled with four cars of a TGV Réseau and an engine head. The repeatedly announced completion of the prototype, where the SNCF showed little interest according to media reports, was delayed several times. In early November 2001, a designated as Elisa test vehicle for the planned AGV - consisting of a driven end cars from Alstom, a car driven means of CAF, four TGV Réseau and TGV Réseau car engine head - tested. Sea trials in April 2002 should be held in northern France (January 2002).

A prototype consisting of three cars, was launched on 5 February 2008 near La Rochelle in the presence of President Nicolas Sarkozy. The idea of the train had numerous media reports the effect of the concentrated in particular on the comparison between AGV and ICE, the benefits of high-speed trains and the market situation for high -speed trains.

A seven-part ( as " Pegase " hereinafter) prototype unit was in mid-May 2008 by La Rochelle on the railway test ring Velim transferred. For the tests Alstom rented the test facility for four months exclusively. She graduated from there first running and braking technical and acoustic tests at speeds up to 200 km / h Overall, the unit placed on the test ring back around 60,000 km. The 132 m long train set has four motor bogies, with a total capacity of 5.6 MW. Of the seven cars are equipped with only two regular seats. Two other cars serve as a workstation for engineers, another car includes a generator that supplies the measuring instruments with energy. The other two cars are used for spare parts as well as a residential area for the engineers.

In June 2008, the train was presented at the test facility to the specialist audience.

In September 2008 the prototype at InnoTrans has been issued. The train will then get in France for the necessary trips to 360 km / h security technology to complete on a high-speed line in France or Italy corresponding test drives. The manufacturer wishes to reflect the approval of France and Italy, and later possibly also for Germany.

Began in early December 2008 on the LGV Est européenne test drives. Here, the train reached a speed of at least 340 km / h

In June 2009, an additional test phase at the test site in Velim began.

By the end of July 2009, the prototype made around 7,500 km with test drives of up to 360 km / h on the LGV Est. Since then, until approximately September 15, 2009 (July 2009), running in Velim the custom approval.

From mid-January 2010 at the train graduated licensing runs on the Italian network. Here (as of mid-January 2010 ) should be covered around 60,000 kilometers on both conventional lines as well as new lines such as between Florence - Rome. On 9 February 2010 began commissioning and licensing runs in Italy. End of March 2010 've been taking the train between Rome and Naples, first reaches a speed of 300 km / hr.

First customers and participation in tenders

As the first private railway company of the Italian company NTV bought mid-January 2008 a total of 25 trains per 11 sections. An option on ten more trainsets is. The trains are designed for 500 passengers and cost a total of 650 million euros. The contract is worth including maintenance over 30 years of 1.5 billion euros. With his offer, Alstom prevailed over Siemens and Bombardier. Trains run since 28 April, 2012 by Milan to Turin and Naples and from Rome to Venice and Bari.

Production of the 200 m long and 8.4 to 9 -MW unit trains should start in early 2009 in the La Rochelle, the first train was delivered in late 2010. 2010/11 test runs were carried out in Italy. End of May 2011, the second unit was handed over to NTV. 17 of the 25 designated as the class 575 trains were built in La Rochelle, 8 more in the Italian Savigliano. They offer 11 cars with 450 seats and reach ( 25 kV AC) a top speed of 300 km / h The drive power of 7.5 MW is distributed over ten permanent-magnet electric motors.

Alstom participated with this train also in a tender of Deutsche Bahn for 15 cross-border usable high- speed trains, but lost end of November 2008 the Velaro. Alstom had shown interest in bidding for IC / ICE trains successor and considered to also offer the AGV next to the TGV Duplex. The company finally submitted no concrete offer.

The Air France announced the AGV to use in the future in the area of ​​medium-haul traffic. Already rented the airline TGV trains between Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Brussels.

The Euro Star Group expressed interest in the AGV to traffic through the Channel Tunnel. The previous Euro Star train sets would have to be after 15 years revised in use or replaced by new units. However, contracts were signed with Siemens for 16-car Velaro trainsets In December 2010, referred to as Euro Star 320.

On 4 November 2008 the construction of a high speed rail network in California was decided by referendum. Alstom sees himself as a promising candidate for the delivery of train technology.

Since 2012 is a version of the AGV at the Italian railway company NTV ( Nuovo Transporto Viaggiatori ) in operation and has been transported 2 million people in the first 8 months.

Technology

A substantial change to the TGV is the distributed drive, are distributed in the powered wheels under the car and can thus be dispensed with power heads. As the TGV also owns the AGV Jacobs bogies. The technique of belonging to the middle car driven Jakobs bogies was tested when the V150 record rides program.

The train has a water-cooled IGBT converter and three-phase synchronous motors with permanent magnet excitation. These motors have the same weight of a significantly higher performance than induction motors.

According to the manufacturer conduct a series of weight-reducing constructions such as a 2.5 mm thick outer wall to a weight advantage of 17 percent compared with the same long trains of competitors. The energy consumption of the train is 15 percent less than the energy consumption of unspecified competitive products. A gasoline equivalent of 0.4 liters per 100 passenger kilometers is called without specifying train configuration and seat load factor than consumption. The specified by the manufacturer CO2 emissions of 2.2 grams per passenger kilometer refers to the French electricity market with a high proportion of nuclear power. As power ratio 22.6 kW / t is specified for a train with 11 sections and a drive of six of the twelve bogies. That was 23 percent more than the main competitor. According to the manufacturer, the number of seats is 20 percent in relation to the length of the train is higher than in previous designs, the energy consumption compared to the TGV has dropped by 30 percent.

The planned maximum speed limit in normal operation should be at 360 km / h, 40 km / h higher than that of the fastest TGV.

The AGV is 25 kV and 15 kV ac and 1,5 kV and 3 kV direct current can circulate under the current systems. The security technology is to be more compatible with other systems.

According to the manufacturer, the noise of the train by the special design of the nose and sound reduction measures could be reduced considerably on the bogies. At 360 km / h, noise emissions are at about the level of competition trains at a speed of 300 km / h to 320 km / h

Alstom believes that the constructive structure of the train ( "articulated architecture" ) as superior safety standard. The stronger connection of the sections on the Jacob - bogies prevents the event of a derailment, a concertina- like folding of the train, as this stable abide in his forest. Movements of the car with each other are significantly reduced. The position of the bogies and engines between cars, rather than as minimize the perceivable inside noise and vibration. Energy devourer to the ends of the train to absorb collisions at 4.5 megajoules of energy.

A 11- sections - train has twelve bogies, of which six driven, and is about 200 m long. According to Alstom bogies are maintenance- intensive parts and the saving of a quarter of the bogies reducing the maintenance costs.

Construction

The train can be configured with 7, 8, 11 or 14 sections, corresponding to about 250 to 650 seats. The train length is 135 meters for a 7 - train sections and 250 meters for a 14 - sections - train. The train is specified by the manufacturer with up to 2.75 meters width of the interior more spacious than competitive products. The carbody width is 2,985 mm.

Car with two levels of seating, like the TGV Duplex, are structurally very difficult because of the underfloor drive the AGV. However a AGV with bi-level cars called the technical director of Alstom in an interview as possible. Opposite the TGV train the roof apex height of the car was increased to increase the height of the interior space and to accommodate on the roof, additional components may, inter alia, air conditioning and braking resistors.

A characteristic feature of the design of the train are, inter alia, the long-drawn, overhanging snout and windows in the end cars that receive the aerodynamic head shape. Are ten meters between the nose and the transition to the passenger compartment. The front end depends on five meters above the front bogie.

Interior passenger comfort

The reduction of vibrations and road noise inside the vehicle as well as the improvement of the available space by a greater interior width, according to figures from Alstom, the main objectives of development. In the technical documents of the manufacturer's next among other larger windows, a variable LED lighting system improvements for passengers with disabilities, video monitors and Internet connections are called for improving passenger comfort.

In order to gain more space in the armrests, the air conditioning is done through the vents in the ceiling. The interior width reaches up to 2,750 mm. In the prototype, the aisle width thereby reaching more than one meter.