FS Class ETR 470

The ETR 470 (from the Italian ElettroTreno Rapido ) is one of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) and Trenitalia (FS ) Two power -driven tilting train, which can be used across borders in Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Austria. He is also referred to as " Cisalpino Pendolino ", after the Italian-Swiss joint venture Cisalpino, which had introduced this Pendolino tilting train for the trans-Alpine traffic.

Technology

The nine -car trainsets are derived from the FS Series ETR 460, from which they differ in the equipment for two current and four train control systems. By distributing the power units on three pairs of cars the axle load was limited to 13.5 tons. The car body tilt is hydraulically controlled and reaches a maximum inclination angle of 8 °. The necessary data are determined by inertial sensors ( gyro instruments ) in the two end cars.

Use

The ETR 470 trains will be used on the Gotthard route between Zurich and Milan. In previous years, on these routes:

• Gotthard route Zurich - Florence
• Schaffhausen -Trieste

• Basel -Bern -Milan

• Lausanne- Milan

From March 1998 to December 2006 individual courses were extended beyond the Gäubahn to Stuttgart.

The introduction of Pendolino trains about the journey time between Zurich and Milan rose by nearly one hour can be reduced (32 minutes faster cornering, 21 minutes by eliminating the border stay ( with a change of locomotive ) in Chiasso ).

On 19 November 2001, the DB sat Reise & Touristik AG at the request of the Federal Railway Authority (EBA ), the maximum speed of the trains in the German network to 130 km / h down after a design review of the wheelsets by the EBA showed that the wheel sets used were not permanently fixed.

By placing operation by Cisalpino on 13 December 2009, five of the nine ETR 470 tilting trains were transferred to the ownership of Trenitalia, the other four of the SBB. Since then, the trains will again - as before the founding of Cisalpino - operate in close cooperation. At the same time the use of this train type was limited to the Gotthard route. The maintenance of the trains was carried out by Trenitalia in Milan, but was done for the SBB trains due to bad experience from 2010 in Basel.

To ensure the reliability and quality of its four ETR 470-2014, invested the SBB from 2011 a further CHF 12 million, but the trains do not operate beyond 2014.

Trains of the same type in other lanes

In addition to the SBB / TrenItalia also has the Czech Railways CD ( there as series 680) features of this type in use, a Einsystemvariante is based on the ETR 460 of Trenitalia also by the Slovenian SZ (Series 310), the Portuguese CP ( series 4000) and the Finnish VR ( there as a series Sm3 in a version for 25kV/50Hz ) used. From these countries do not report on a bad availability of this Triebzugtyps are known.

Likelihood of punctures

The ETR 470 show a relatively large margins vulnerability and breakdown series. The SBB customer service runs a specially created for Cisalpino refund service due to the frequent delays and occasional failures. Even in the media Pendolino incidents a regularly recurring theme. A private website lists all the delays on the formerly frequented by the Cisalpino routes. The page name is derived from the Italian word for toilet and Cisalpino.

After an incident on 22 December 2008 at the Lötschberg base tunnel, the demand was voiced by the Swiss Railway and Transport Personnel Association ( SEV) that SBB takes over the maintenance of the trains or she should completely withdraw from the market. For the maintenance was responsible contractually Trenitalia, but this neglect. You failed to mid-December 2008 for days, the trains to wait correctly. The SBB rejected the closure, since it had not itself sufficient, conventional Swiss rolling stock available.

According to statistics reported in the period December 9, 2007 to December 13, 2008 planned by the 5936 665 rides a delay of more than 15 minutes, not counting failures with an average delay of 28 minutes. More than 80 percent of the delays affected the direction of Italy - Switzerland. 83 runs came here never the goal. In 70 percent of cases, the failures related to the direction of travel, Italy and Switzerland. The statistics also show that the delay ratio of CIS Pendolino from Italy with 18.4 %, almost four times as high as in conventional Coming Euro City trains in the same direction.

Alone on January 7, achieved in 2009 by the 26 Cisalpino 13 rides never their goal. A further five experienced delays of more than twenty minutes in three cases more than an hour with a peak value of 103 minutes.

In December 2010, ruled Edwin Dutler, president of Pro Bahn Switzerland, the Swiss Association of rail users, via the ETR 470: " The SBB speak of a sophisticated fleet, but it is junk. "

In May 2011 it was reported that of the four ETR 470 trains of the SBB three roadworthy and are in maintenance, while a is roadworthy of the five, the Trenitalia after the fire of a train on the Gotthard line only. Although the disturbances on the Swiss vehicles could be halved by the SBB workshop in Basel since the takeover of maintenance, the maintenance remain very maintenance intensive. Therefore, the SBB will not perform at their ETR 470 trains the overdue major overhaul after reaching 4.2 million kilometers of mileage, but they withdraw from the market until 2014.

Disturbance in the Zimmerberg Base Tunnel

On 11 April 2006 it came in the Zimmerberg Base Tunnel ( Zurich - Thalwil ) to a disturbance leading to fire. The defective ETR 470 came by about 20:00 clock about four kilometers from the tunnel exit Thalwil to a halt. In the second to last car in the system change means a fire had arisen in the underfloor electric switch due to a short circuit. The train was traveling from Stuttgart to Milan and was due to disturbances in the system change device already have to stop in Germany several times. The 120 passengers were evacuated by the emergency chutes from the tunnel; three people had to be referred for suspected smoke inhalation to the emergency services.

Other incidents (selection)

• In April and July 2005 respectively Cisalpino remained Stuttgart - Milan are in wells, where the track used in southbound 5 was interrupted for one hour. The travelers were further transported by trains running an hour later Intercity.
• On 28 April 2007 had to be evacuated because of a Cisalpino Raderhitzung in Kandersteg. The heavy smoke had led to unrest and panic among the passengers.
• On 31 July 2007 had to be evacuated because of smoke from a Cisalpino in the station of Como 150 passengers. The smoke was due to a defect in the air conditioning.
• On 16 February 2008, a 470 ETR remained stuck because of a defect in the Lötschberg base tunnel, the passengers were evacuated by a transverse tunnels.
• On 20 February 2008 a composition at the exit from the Visp Railway stopped due to a vehicle breakdown.
• On 18 August 2008 a Cisalpino in Wassen train station was a few kilometers in front of the Gotthard tunnel.
• On 22 December 2008 a composition in the Lötschberg base tunnel had to be stopped because the wireless connection of the train control system ( ETCS) by a fault on the side of the vehicle was discontinued. The 200 passengers had to migrate to a replacement train in the tunnel. On the same day urged the Swiss rail union that the ETR 470 after four incidents within a year will no longer be allowed to drive on Swiss rails, which the SBB, however due to lack of rolling stock designated as unrealistic. The Trenitalia gave as a reason neglected maintenance due to the shift of subsistence from Milan to Greco. The SBB sought during which the shift to Switzerland, by virtue of existing treaties would not be possible, however. Part of the work is carried out in Basel since mid- 2008. Meanwhile, SBB and Trenitalia have agreed on a more intensive and improved maintenance in Italy.
• On 29 December 2008 wrecked a composition that was traveling from Brig to Basel because of a drive failure. The defective train was turned in Brig and Domodossola went to (I), the passengers had to change to another train.
• 17 May 2011 broke up the ascent between Biasca and Airolo in the under-floor mounted equipment boxes ETR 470 207 of a fire without spreading into the passenger compartment. The affected train is part of the Italian State Railways Trenitalia.
• On 10 May 2012 came to a carriage of an ETR 470 in Lucerne train station on a fault so that it began to rock while standing. The fault disappeared when the train had left the station.
• On March 19, 2013, arrived at Zurich main station to a battery fire.
• On September 1, 2013, ETR 470 Italian State Railways Trenitalia got stuck in the Zimmerberg tunnel. This was due to a technical fault in the train. The train has left the Zurich train station shortly after 19 clock, as media reported. According to an SBB Spokesman passengers who can transfer to Zurich on the Interregio by 22 clock to Chiasso.