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NEWS
Rail Engineer • June 2015
Concepts revealed at Railtex The opportunities that exist for train builders in the UK were laid bare at Railtex 2015 as both Siemens and Hitachi presented designs for new trains. Siemens is targeting the long-distance EMU market with its Desiro Verve - a derivative of the discontinued Desiro UK. The Verve cars will be 23 metres long - three metres longer than the Thameslink Desiro City - and will be equipped with uprated bogies to allow speeds of 125 mph. This summer, Siemens will deliver the first of 115 twelve-car Desiro City trains to Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR). The new ‘high capacity’ commuter train sets will operate between Bedford and Brighton from 2016. The Verve features a more aerodynamic front end than the Class 700 and an interior configured for intercity travel. Other features include inside frame bogies, SIBAS train control and plug doors. Graeme Clark, head of business development, rolling stock, said: “We’ve gone for a lot of features that have been developed specifically for the Desiro City, so it draws very heavily on the technology of the Desiro City.”
Hitachi’s British bullet A few stands down, Hitachi also had something new. Visitors were able to pick up a pair of 3D glasses and walk through the standard class carriage of a very high-speed AT400 - Hitachi’s British bullet train. It will challenge the likes of Bombardier’s Zefiro and Siemens’ Velaro, which will be pulling into St Pancras in December in Eurostar livery. “It’s just showcasing that we do know what real high speed is about,” said Hitachi Rail Europe managing director Keith Jordan. Keith said the design looks beyond HS2 and as such is adorned with cutting edge technology - some of which is still being developed in Hitachi laboratories around the world - such as holographic displays, seat reservation lighting and smart windows. Like the Class 395 and Class 800, the AT400 would include a substantial amount of UK content. “All that you see will be deliverable in the future,” said Keith. “The technology exists, the delivery sometimes takes time and educating customers also takes time. “We feel we have to be in a very good position because of the technology we’ve got. [We have] 50 years of experience in Japan, more than anybody else in the world with high-speed trains.” Only recently, the Rail Supply Group (RSG) highlighted the enormous demand for new trains. According to its rolling stock strategy, an average of 12 electric vehicles a week will need to be delivered in CP6 to keep pace with passenger growth and the widespread electrification of the network - at a cost of more than £6 billion.
Do or die Railtex was officially opened by Network Rail chairman, and self-confessed technology geek, Richard Parry-Jones. On day two, RSG co-chairman and Alstom country president Terrence Watson took the keynote slot. Terrence said he believed it was do or die for the industry, which must make the most of the current period of sustained investment both at home and overseas. “The UK is a beautiful big market today, and we see for the next five to seven years that’s being sustained, so we’re happy,” said Terrence. “But we’re also facing danger because there’s a cycle and that cycle’s going to arrive and it will arrive early 2020s to mid 2020s. And if we’re not investing now and if we’re not capitalising on the investment, and for example exporting, or moving technology forward and bringing those ideas to market, we’ll die.” The third day’s keynote speaker was Tim Shoveller, managing director of the South Western Railway, who spoke about his experiences of deep alliancing on the Wessex route. The Railtex Awards 2015 were held on the Wednesday evening, for which Rail Media was the headline sponsor. Awards included Best New Rolling Stock Product, which was won by Bombardier, and Best New Track or Infrastructure Product which went to Dura Composites. After dinner, guests were treated to comedy routines from Rod Woodward and former Catchphrase host Roy Walker. A full review of Railtex will appear in the next issue of Rail Engineer.