Sokol (train)

Under the series designation ЭС250 ( German transcription ES250 ) the prototype of a wide-gauge high-speed train of the Russian Railways ( RZD) was performed. He was also called Sokol (Russian Сокол [ so̞kəɫ ] (debate? / I ) to German Falke ).

A 350 km / h fast variant of the train was being considered as ES350. This should come to an ( unrealized ) new railway line between Moscow and St. Petersburg are used.

History

The planned twelve-part series ЭС250 should operate as a successor to the series ЭР200 ( ER200 ) on the railway line St. Petersburg - Moscow and a cruising speed of 250 km / h (planned top speed: 300 km / h). A six-part prototype was built between 1997 and 1999 in Trans -mash in Tikhvin and presented to the public on 28 July 1999.

Beginning of 2001 was the testing of a six-part prototype train on the test ring Schtscherbinka. The development of this series was stopped because of numerous defects in the immature construction in 2002 and 2004 set the whole project. The individual purchase price was about 19.3 million U.S. dollars.

The series features should consist of 12 cars and get seats (depending on the division in 1st and 2nd class ) between 688-832. In addition to two control car driven four cars, four transformer cars and two sidecars were provided. A total of 16 traction motors ( three -phase induction motors) should - depending on the desired speed - provide a total capacity of 6,880 or 10,880 kW. According to the Russian Ministry of Railways from 2001, a requirement of 100 Sokol - unit trains have existed until 2010. You should connect the Russian capital with St. Petersburg, Sochi, Warsaw and Berlin.

More than 60 companies and organizations were involved in the project.

Technology

Similarly, the German ICE 3 had the series ЭС250 no power head. The drive system and other components were distributed under the floor on all cars. So a scheduled twelve-panel train should accommodate up to 800 passengers. The car bodies were made ​​of aluminum. The facilities were vacuum toilets, bar and air conditioning in two different classes of cars. The brakes of the train were electrodynamic, pneumatic and executed as a magnetic brake. After several test runs of the six-part Sokol reached on 27 May 2000 for the first time a speed over 200 km / h, on the railway line St. Petersburg - Moscow.

Replacement of the Sokol

Instead of the Russian production of Sokol in 2006 the Russian State Railways signed with Siemens Mobility a supply contract for eight ten- Velaro trains running as " Sapsan " between Saint Petersburg and Moscow since 17 December 2009.