Siemens Velaro Novo High Speed Trains - 360 km/h Testing in Germany

 

Siemens Velaro Nova Test Train

 

Siemens latest high speed trains the VELARO NOVO will travel up to 360km/h. There is currently a test car operating in Germany.

 

Trains have rarely been as variable as the Velaro Novo. “Variable train” covers all the innovations that make each Velaro Novo unique, for operators and passengers alike. This includes maximizing the available space by 10 percent, and its high-speed range of 280km/h - 360 km/h.

The Velaro Novo’s lightweight body shell is based on the empty tube concept, meaning that there are no permanent installations inside the car and the interior can be furnished according to customer wishes and altered whenever requirements change. The cars have no underseat containers or electrical cabinets in their interior, and their length was enlarged to 28.75 m. Passengers can enjoy the maximum available space. 

“Reduced total costs” covers all aspects that contribute to the overall cost efficiency of the Velaro Novo. A 20 percent reduction in investment costs and 30 percent lower maintenance and servicing costs make the Velaro Novo unique on the market when it comes to cost efficiency.

 

The Velaro Novo is about 15 percent lighter than previous Velaro generations. We were able to reduce the train’s weight by more than 70 tons.

 

The Velaro Novo has inbound bogies. With their inbound bearings, the running and traction bogies ensure smoother running, less wear and tear, and better protection from snow, ice and gravel.

 

“Aerodynamic excellence” describes all the innovations that help optimize the aerodynamics of the Velaro Novo. This includes full housing of the bogies, which will reduce energy consumption by well over 15 percent. These innovations are thus a core element in achieving an overall reduction in energy consumption by up to 30 percent.

 

“Proven technology” means tried and tested innovation and years of experience: More than 1,000 Velaro trains in use around the world have covered more than 3 billion kilometers at speeds of up to 380 km/h. Since April 2018, all the innovations in the Velaro Novo have been tested using the #seeitnovo test car. During a two-year period, it will travel a total of 100,000 kilometers.

 

Wouldn’t it be nice if Canada had high speed trains. We deserve better. http://highspeedrail.ca

Promotional material for this article from Simens.

High Speed Rail Canada Posts 2020 Cascadia Ultra High-Speed Ground, Transportation - Framework for the Future Study on their website

 

High Speed Rail Canada, the nation's leader in educating Canadian's on high speed rail has posted the December 2020 Cascadia  Ultra High Speed Ground Transportation - Framework for the Future Study on their website.

Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia are studying how ultra-high-speed ground transportation (UHSGT) might serve as a catalyst to transform the Pacific Northwest. The Cascadia UHSGT system will connect the metro areas of Vancouver, BC; Seattle, WA; Portland, OR, and points between and beyond, with frequent service running at speeds as high as 250 miles per hour (400 kilometers per hour) 

To view this study and all Vancouver Seattle-Portland click HERE.

#highspeedrail #cascadia #hsr

Mountain Valley Express High Speed Rail - Whistler-Vancouver- Chilliwack

Exciting news out of the British Columbia. There is a proposal titled," Mountain Valley Express" (MVX). It proposes a high speed rail line between Whistler-Vancouver-Chilliwack. 

According to their website - With speeds of up to 300km/h, passengers will be able to travel from the mountains to the valley in under an hour. With stations at key regional hubs, the MVX will become the economic engine of sustainable growth for the next generation. With travel times up to 4 times faster than driving, MVX will transform the way we move and live, opening up unforeseen economic opportunities for decades to come.

Feel free to learn more about this important proposal at https://www.mvx.vision/index.html

TURBO - The UAC CN Turbotrain Complete 1970 Movie

The Turbotrain  - Canada's High Speed Train

In 2002, Paul Langan the founder of High Speed Rail Canada, began his search for all audio and video materials of Canada's  famous Turbotrain. In 2009 he posted the TURBO movie in 3 parts on Youtube. Now for the first time  the complete movie has been loaded for the public to view. 

The film is a look at Canada's fastest train. On April 22nd, 1976 the Turbotrain set the Canadian Railway Speed Record travelling 140mph/225km/hr while operating as a Passenger Extra 153 East between miles 104 and 84 on CN's Kingston Subdivision.

The train was built by United Aircraft Corporation for CN Railway and ran in Canada from 1968 and 1982. They were built by Montreal Locomotive Works. The Turbo also ran in the USA.

Film Description from the 1971 CN Film Catalogue - CN's turbine-powered train which covered the 336 miles (540km) from Montreal to Toronto in just four hours. The film follows the development of the Turbo - from its engineering, to its construction and interior design. Ride Turbo to the heat of downtown Montreal and Toronto and savour a gourmet dinner at your Turboclub seat. Everything about Turbo is new - from the dome lounges to the pant suited hostesses.

1970 - 23min.45s - Produced by Peterson Productions, Sponsored by Canadian National Railway. TURBO was awarded a bronze medal at the International Film and Television Festival of New York. Permission to use the TURBO film for educational purposes was granted to Paul Langan by CN in 2002.

High Speed Rail Support from the Young Liberals of Canada - Jeunes libéraux du Canada

The Young Liberals of Canada released their 2020 Policies. The prioritized High Speed Rail in the Ontario-Quebec corridor as a priority.

The Young Liberals spelled out their rationale for fast tracking high speed rail in Canada. Nice to see young people recognizing that proven technology like high speed rail is needed in Canada.

Hyperloop and the Sci-Fi Fantasy

Reality Check for Hyperloop 

With the latest news that the Alberta government was interested in the Transpod Hyperloop, we felt it was time for an update on our previous story.

What are some of the critical problems in trying to make hyperloop become a reality?

Security-wise 

It’s easy to destroy this system by making a small dent in the tube. Yes, it’s one inch thick steel, but there are easily attainable ways to dent one-inch steel. When you hit a small bump protruding inside the tube while going at 1,000 km/h nothing good can possibly happen regardless of capsule suspension design. As proposed the system is impossible to secure - Clem Tillier

Sudden Decompression 

The whole thing about hard vacuum versus partial vacuum is academic This is a 99.9% vacuum. In a sudden decompression the passengers cannot survive, regardless of whether oxygen masks are available. This is unlike an airliner where there is always sufficient residual pressure and oxygen to survive even the worst-case decompression event. - Clem Tillier

Thermal Expansion

 Due to changes in  temperature, the steel would change in structure. In bridges there are expansion joints to allow it to expand and shrink without compromising the structural integrity. The Hyperloop will require thermal expansion joints to function. Installing the joints on bridges is easy enough, however, they do not need to maintain a seal holding back billions of kilograms of force.

Phil Mason predicts the Hyperloop will require a joint every 100 meters. Over the entire distance, it would accumulate 6000 moving vacuum seals - all of which are a significant point of failure."A failure on any one of them would be disastrous to everyone inside"  Phil Mason - The Hyperloop Busted Video.

Pressure

A proposed Hyperloop of 600 km with a diameter of about two meters,  will maintain a surface area of about four million meters squared. Given one square meter will experience 10,000 kg of force, the Hyperloop will have to endure nearly 40 billion kilograms of force over its entire surface.

A small compromise in the structure of the tube would result in a catastrophic implosion. If the tube became punctured, external air would tear into the tube, shredding it apart as it violently rushes in to fill the void. - Interesting Engineering - June 29th, 2017

Emergency Exits

Emergency exits in some form are required for the hyperloop. There are always emergencies that could occur in the tube and people must be evacuated. However, designing an emergency exit system that both accommodates sufficient safety and acceptable costs is complex.  What emergencies are critical and to what emergencies the system needs to be designed, is unclear.

A hyperloop has never been built and operated before, so practical experience and data is not readily available. It is hard to determine what is acceptable in terms of safety. Hyperloop Connected - Challenges for the Hyperloop, May 16, 2019