Siemens

Tonymercury · Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 10:04 am

Siemens and the Stadtwerke München (SWM – Munich City Utilities) / Münchner Verkehrs-gesellschaft (MVG – Munich Transport Company) are ringing in a new era of rail technology. Starting today, SWM / MVG are using the new "Syntegra" powered bogie from Siemens for the first time in passenger service in the city’s metro system. Syntegra integrates traction, bogie and braking technology to form a unified mechatronic system that is unique around the world. Supplied by Siemens’ Mobility Division, the system not only is more efficient than conventional traction systems, it also saves weight and therefore energy as well.

"Syntegra represents a generational change in the area of powered bogies for rail vehicles. It is proof of the fact that technological progress is the right way to guarantee mobility and, at the same time, reduce the impact on the environment," said Hans-Jörg Grundmann, CEO of Siemens Mobility. Günter Pedall, head of the metro section at SWM/MVG, explained: "We’re only too happy to help Siemens in the testing of its new energy-efficient traction concept. As one of Germany’s largest metro operators, we’re very interested in putting innovative technologies to use as quickly as possible once they have proven themselves in long-term trials."

Syntegra replaces today’s conventional, but mechanically very complex traction design with a very simple gearless three-phase drive system that is up to 30 percent lighter than present-day metro bogies. This will enable operators to reap considerable energy savings, for Siemens is expecting reductions of up to 20 percent. The greater economic efficiency goes hand in hand with a further improvement in the metro’s environmental balance sheet, which is already extremely favourable in the case of conventional drives. Its CO2 efficiency at an average load factor is around 8.7 times better than that of a car which, in statistical terms, is used by an average of 1.2 people at a time. Syntegra is a continuation of Siemens’ strategy of consistently developing environment-friendly technologies. With its environment portfolio, the company achieved sales of 17 billion euros as early as fiscal 2007 and is aiming at a target of 25 billion euros for 2011.

The Siemens test vehicle is a type B 2-car unit, in which one of the cars is equipped with two Syntegra bogies. It is being used in passenger service in conjunction with two conventional 2-car units – in other words, in multiple running as part of a normal extended train. Special measuring equipment will be recording all the performance data of the test car. Siemens and SWM/MVG will then jointly evaluate the results. Initially, passengers will not be able to notice much of a difference to conventional metro cars. The only thing that stands out is the label that is stick on the car and draws attention to the innovative inner life of the vehicle. Siemens anticipates that the Syntegra can be ready for series production in two years.

In 2007, Siemens won the innovation prize "Intelligence for Transportation and Logistics" for this newly development. The prize is awarded to companies whose innovative products or services make a special contribution to promoting sustained economic growth, to securing jobs and to maintaining competitiveness in Bavarian industry.

For further information on the Syntegra powered bogie, see: [url]www.siemens.de/syntegra [/url]

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574M · Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:02 am

I seem to have noticed that traction motor whinge and whine seems to becoming a thing of the past, and that rapidly.

Gearless, self steering bogies. What next?

richiebogie · Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:35 am

I assume it includes regenerative braking, like the high speed Japanese trains, and the hybrid cars?

I see that they hooked up the test cars to existing cars. This should reduce the chance of any loss of control or brake sliding issues.

Tonymercury · Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 6:08 am

Pictures of the Future Spring 2008
Tailored Solutions | Rail Transport Study

Rail Systems of the Future – Lighter, Smarter, Faster

In collaboration with the Siemens Mobility Division, Siemens Corporate Technology has analysed the requirements of rail traffic for the next ten to twenty years in a study called "Picture of the Future Rail" that focuses on the Indian, Russian, Chinese, U.S., and European markets. The study basically employed the methodology of the "Pictures of the Future" procedure that Siemens uses for strategic planning, whereby the project team organized workshops with customers, operators, scientists, and other experts, defining key technologies and deducing detailed scenarios that incorporate mega trends such as urbanization, demographic change, security, environmental protection, and the depletion of raw material resources. Thus a picture of the future was created that extends to the year 2025.

The study shows that rail traffic will increase substantially all over the world. The reason is that the number of large cities and urban areas will grow dramatically, and track infrastructure forms an important base for the economic prosperity of a region. Forecasts suggest that by 2025 passenger rail traffic will increase by more than 30 % worldwide, and freight traffic will grow by over 65 %. Passengers will benefit from shorter waiting times, better service and more attractive and more comfortable vehicles. The trains—often fully automated—will no longer stay a specified distance apart, but will instead maintain spacing in accordance with their relative speeds. This will lead to major savings in time and energy.

High-speed passenger trains operating at speeds of up to 450 km/h will shorten travel times between major cities. In addition, separate corridors will be established for freight traffic. This will lead to improved transportation capacity as well as to faster passenger traffic, as slower freight traffic will run on its own tracks. In China and India, for example, double-decker container cars could run on newly constructed roadbeds. Driverless freight cars could operate along selected routes. The customer specifies the destination, the car hooks itself into the traffic flow and reaches its destination completely on its own.

Of course, demand will not be the same everywhere. Priorities vary from region to region, focusing either on expanding local transport services (the U.S., Europe, China, India), the targeted expansion of long-distance passenger and freight traffic (China, India) or modernizing existing railroad systems (Russia).

In all of these areas, environmental protection will have very high priority. In 2025, trains will be lighter in weight and their drive systems will use less energy. Experts have high hopes concerning wheel hub motors. In this technology, the wheel, motor, and brake are combined into a single unit, and an electric drive is located directly in the wheel. Transmissions and drive shafts are thus obviated, along with associated losses in power transmission.

One option for non-electrified lines is the use of trains that are powered by fuel cells that would be refuelled at hydrogen filling stations along the railway line. All of the energy would be generated directly on board the train and without producing any harmful emissions. And thanks to the combination of lightweight construction and onboard energy storage for braking energy, trams may be able to manage without any overhead lines in inner cities. Moreover, lightweight train design will reduce wear and tear on rails and thus also cut maintenance costs.

Researchers expect that by 2025 materials will have been developed that, in case of fire, are either self-extinguishing or non-flammable. These materials will utilize nanoparticles incorporated in metals, ceramics, and polymers, in the form of an oil or a gel, for example. Thanks to precise location identification, the European satellite navigation system "Galileo" will make it possible to reduce the distances between trains. In this way, it will be possible to transport many times more traffic volume over the same railroad infrastructure than is possible today.

The Pictures of the Future report finds that improved mobility of freight and passengers will in particular be facilitated by the intelligent networking of transportation systems and the integration of all modes of transport. Thanks to telematics, standardized communication systems, and uniform interfaces, all of the various transportation modes will be optimally harmonized with one another and associated information will be interlinked—whether it’s about individual or rail traffic, parking garages, train stations or airports. Passengers and motorists, for example, will have access to a wealth of information that relates to their own specific travel plans. A single ticket will then be valid for all transportation operators, and passengers will be able travel in comfort from door to door by bus, train, plane, or subway.

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Tonymercury · Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2008 6:39 am

Pictures of the Future Spring 2008
Tailored Solutions – Locomotives

Flexible Family
The locomotives of the Eurosprinter family can be flexibly adapted to each customer’s requirements. They have been designed to support cross-border rail traffic—and thus benefit railroad operators and passengers alike.

Eurosprinter is not only the world’s fastest electric locomotive, but also a platform that can be adapted to the needs of operators such as Railion, ÖBB, and Arriva-Vogtlandbahn.

When it comes to rail traffic, Europe is still far from united. On the continent there are several different track gauges, five voltage systems, and as many as 26 different train protection systems. "It’s like in the Middle Ages, when every city used different measuring units," laments Ulrich Fösel, product manager for locomotives at Siemens Mobility in Erlangen. "No uniform standards, just a mishmash of European particularism."

This patchwork system meant that trains had to stop at national borders and change locomotives before they could travel on. Such delays were not only costly for passengers, but resulted in a competitive handicap for freight transport in comparison with trucks.

Since the 1990s, Siemens engineers have been working intensively on this problem. Their solution is called the platform concept. The principle behind that name is a family of locomotives that can be easily adapted to the requirements of individual countries and customers. With an auxiliary equipment set, such trains can operate with as many as four different voltage systems, and are thus capable of cross-border travel. These convertible locomotives, known as Eurosprinters, are now used by numerous European railroad operators.

Although the concept seems obvious, it could not be implemented for a long time due to political conditions. "Up to the 1980s, state-owned railroads developed locomotives themselves and merely issued production orders to manufacturers," explains Thomas Eisele, the Siemens platform manager responsible for the latest version of the Eurosprinter. "Today, on the other hand, locomotive development is done entirely by the manufacturers, so it’s important, particularly for economic reasons, to support multiple markets at the same time."

The youngest member of the Eurosprinter family is the first version to conform completely to the platform concept. The ES64U4 consists of the basic locomotive—the locomotive body, bogies, and motor—plus additional packages the customer can select individually. These options contain everything the locomotive needs to operate in a given country, such as a voltage adapter and a train protection system, plus a signal lighting system. To accommodate the wide range of specifications of various railroad companies and the large number of special signals used—for instance for train shunting or wrong-way travel—Siemens developed a combination of halogen lamps and LEDs that can meet all requirements with respect to signal brightness and colour.

To date, Siemens has developed country-specific packages for Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. Other packages are in the planning stage. To transport goods or people across Europe, a company purchases the appropriate packages and switches over from one to the other at the border. No locomotive exchange is necessary.

These customer packages make it possible, despite a high degree of standardization, to individualize each Eurosprinter. The result is customized locomotives that consist of pre-existing components in different combinations of the basic locomotive with the appropriate country-specific or customer-specific packages. "It’s much like the auto industry, where the customer can order many extras," says Eisele.

But without advances in technology, all this would have remained a pipe dream. Having multiple voltage and train protection systems in one locomotive would have been too expensive and bulky. In Germany, for instance, locomotives are low and wide, but in Switzerland, because of the many different tunnels, they are narrow and tall. Thanks to more compact technology, Siemens can now produce locomotives that are both slender and low in profile, so they can travel in both countries.

Special on Locomotives. Manufacturers and customers alike benefit from the modular approach. For Siemens, the advantage is that development costs are lower and the locomotive can be produced and marketed economically—a significant advantage when production quantities are small. Customers also benefit from short delivery times, since 90 percent of the locomotive is composed of standard parts. And rail operators can implement joint maintenance concepts and be confident that replacement parts will remain available for many years to come.

But above all, the Eurosprinter creates new opportunities for freight rail traffic. "This locomotive provides its owners with a great competitive advantage," explains Werner Buchberger of ÖBB Traktion. "So we’ll be able to serve our markets fast and without hassles"—markets like Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. "Railroad operators can therefore use entirely new business models based on cross-border traffic." Eurosprinter is also important in maintaining or gaining market share. Thanks to the locomotive’s multisystem capability, ÖBB can, for example, guarantee its customer Audi just-in-time delivery, with a scheduling uncertainty of mere minutes, on the rail line between the Audi plants in Ingolstadt, Germany, and Györ, Hungary. "Without such an assurance, these shipments would probably have been shifted to trucks," Buchberger concludes.

The adaptability of the Eurosprinter is also very important to locomotive leasing companies such as MRCE Dispolok GmbH in Munich. "We can respond flexibly to market changes, for instance when the flow of freight traffic changes," says Alex Dworaczek, head of Dispolok Fleet and Technology Management. "Then we can convert the locomotives and equip them with another set of appropriate country packages." And this flexible concept reduces the risk for the operator. "You can use a plug-and-play approach as you install individual components in different locomotives. Without the platform concept, our business would certainly be more difficult," says Dworaczek.

Passenger traffic benefits too, as delays for locomotive changes are eliminated. For instance, on the Vienna-Prague-Berlin line there are still three locomotive changes, because there are two different voltage systems in the Czech Republic alone. "With Eurosprinter, it will become possible to save 40 to 50 minutes on that line," Buchberger says. "In 2008, we’re expecting approval for the Czech Republic. In 2009, the through train could be a reality."

The platform concept will incorporate further advances in the next Eurosprinter generation. "The locomotive can be delivered either as a fast passenger locomotive or as a slow freight version," says Ulrich Fösel. What’s more, it will be available for several gauge sizes. The first customer—this year already—will be the Portuguese railway company CP.

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Tonymercury · Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2008 4:20 pm

Reliable detection of contact wire ruptures with Sicat CMS by Siemens

Fast and reliable location of defects in overhead contact lines

The Siemens Mobility Division has developed the contactless measuring and monitoring system Sicat CMS (Catenary Monitoring System) for mass transit and mainline services. It continuously monitors overhead contact line systems at critical points along the line such as at level crossings, near stops and in tunnels. If a crack is detected, an alarm is triggered immediately and sent to the control centre. Ruptures are detected through measurement and evaluation of the position of the swing levers in the automatic tensioning equipment of the overhead contact line system. In addition to the existing overhead contact line protection, the location and type of defect can be determined much more quickly and precisely and, if necessary, substations supplying power can be switched off selectively. Service on the route can thus be resumed much sooner. If there is any possibility of a hazard, personnel on board trains travelling on the route can be warned and given appropriate instructions in advance. It is also possible to prevent consequential damage being caused, for example, by other vehicles entering the section of track. As a result, Sicat CMS enhances the availability and cost effectiveness of railway lines. The first of these catenary monitoring devices are already in place and being used successfully.

For rail operators, the safety and availability of their installations and equipment have top priority. But economic and technical reasons often prevent essential components of their installations being designed with the redundancy needed to increase availability. This is especially true in the case of overhead contact lines installed above the tracks. Extraneous factors such as fallen trees can rupture contact wires and result in closure of the railway line. Reliable and speedy detection of ruptures is therefore very important in order to offer passengers guaranteed reliable rail service.

Changes in the length of contact wires and catenary wires due to temperature fluctuations are compensated by means of tensioning equipment, often consisting of weights and tension wheel assemblies. The tension wheel assembly ensures that the weight and the pulling force of the overhead contact line remain in a state of equilibrium. Any alteration of the force applied to the contact wire – such as friction forces caused by elongation of the conductors due to fluctuating temperatures, contact wire uplift during train passages, additional loads in the catenary system or ruptures in the contact wire – results in a change in the angle of inclination of the swing lever of the tension wheel assembly. The friction forces created during normal current collection by the train usually change gradually and, in any case, only slightly. In contrast, contact wire ruptures and additional loads lead to major and abrupt changes in the forces being exerted. A strict evaluation of the change in the swing lever's position and of the time when it occurred thus makes it possible to carry out a precise analysis of the events in and around the catenary system.

Sicat CMS from Siemens measures the position of the swing lever on the tension wheel assembly with the help of a position sensor, which works on the basis of magnetic effects (magnetostriction). The sensor is a contactless device and therefore not subject to wear. The accuracy of the entire system is set to 0.1 mm. A permanent magnet is mounted to one side of the movable swing lever near the tension wheel axle. Together with the swing lever of the tension wheel assembly, this magnet moves along a sensor rod. The measured values of the sensor are sent to the sensor station. There is an air gap around 5 mm wide between the rod of the measuring sensor and the permanent magnet which ensures that the sensor does not obstruct the tension wheel assembly. Moreover, external influences such as loose loads or tree branches cannot adversely affect the sensor's measuring results.

For purposes of evaluation, the bandwidth of the position values during the last few seconds is calculated cyclically. If it exceeds a configured value, an alarm is transmitted to the monitoring system. This is an indication that there is a problem in the overhead contact line system. The operator can then react accordingly, such as by asking train drivers to pay closer attention to the situation. As soon as the catenary system settles down again, the difference between the positions at the beginning and end of the movement is checked. If it is small, this means that the catenary has approximately settled back into its original position. The equilibrium of forces has therefore not significantly changed and a rupture in the contact wire can be ruled out with a high degree of probability. A large difference, however, indicates that the catenary system has assumed a new steady-state condition with a different swing lever position and therefore that the equilibrium of forces acting on the wires has changed as well. The monitoring device then sends a high-priority alarm to the control system. Through evaluation of the movement per time unit and an additional comparison with specifically defined limits, it is possible to determine deviations from the normal operating values.

Sicat CMS can be configured for any size of installation. It can monitor either all parts of the entire overhead contact line system or only critical points along the line such as grade crossings, bridges, tunnels and station platforms. The device contributes to condition-related maintenance with fewer personnel.

The control centre of the system is linked up via Ethernet, which uses the telecontrol protocol in accordance with the standard IEC 60870-5-104. As a result, Sicat CMS can be integrated easily into an existing Scada system. A special operator workstation in the control centre is not needed.

Prototypes have been tested successfully and are now being used on the HSL Zuid high speed line in the Netherlands and the Segovia–Valladolid high speed line in Spain. The first series-produced systems are being installed on the high speed route between Madrid and Valladolid, where installation work started in spring 2008. Seven evaluation stations with a total of 120 sensor stations and 240 sensors detect the condition of the catenaries along this approximately 140-km-long route. The system detects mechanical faults in the overhead line in places that are sensitive for the operator, for instance, at railway stations and at the two 8-km and 29-km-long tunnels San Pedro and Guadarrama.

A photo accompanying this press release is available at:

http://www.siemens.com/mobility-pictures/sicat

Tony Bailey
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Tonymercury · Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2008 4:21 pm

Siemens presents its multi-system locomotive HLE 18

Premier of the new-generation Eurosprinter – A powerhouse with up to 6,000 kW

At InnoTrans 2008 in Berlin Siemens is presenting an multi-system electric locomotive from the new generation of Eurosprinters. The Belgian railway company – "Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Belges/ Nationale Maatschappij der Belgische Spoorwegen" (SNCB/ NMBS) – has ordered sixty of these class HLE 18 locomotives from Siemens. These traction units have a maximum power rating of 6,000 kW, can travel at speeds of up to 200 km/h and will operate on the L2 high speed line between Brussels and Liege and on conventional routes as well.

The new Siemens locomotives are to replace older units in passenger traffic and expand overall capacity for the operator. Apart from its introduction on routes in Belgium, certifications are to be obtained for the HLE 18 so that it can operate in neighbouring France (25 kV power system) and Luxembourg and serve the border stations Roosendaal and Maastricht (both in the Netherlands) and Aachen (Germany), thus clearing the way for unrestricted cross-border service. These new locomotives will be equipped with the European Train Control System (ETCS) Levels 1 and 2. The Siemens plant in Nuremberg, Germany will supply traction converter units, traction motors and transformers, while the bogies will be supplied by Siemens in Graz, Austria. Carbody construction will take place in the company's plant in Munich-Allach, Germany along with the assembly work and commissioning.

The HLE 18 has been brought from Munich to Berlin specially for the show, afterwards it will go back to the factory to complete commissioning. Shipment of a total of 60 locomotives starts in January 2009 and should be completed by June 2010. The order which Siemens received in December 2006 is worth some EUR 211 million and includes an option for 60 more locomotives.

New Eurosprinters also setting the pace in Portugal

The Portuguese railway operator "Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses" (CP) ordered the class LE 4700 locomotive from Siemens – a locomotive belonging to the same Eurosprinter generation as the model HLE 18 for the Belgian railway company. The first of a total number of 25 vehicles in this class series will be handed over to the customer in October of this year. The 4,600 kW locomotives will see service in passenger and freight traffic. The LE 4700 is equipped with a new bogie that allows easy wheelset exchange, enabling the locomotive to run both on standard gauge and on Portuguese broad-gauge track. In addition, the LE 4700 is fitted with the national train control system, Convel, and with train radio and operations control systems.

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Tonymercury · Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2008 4:22 pm

Desiro ML gets up to speed

Siemens presents this multiple unit at InnoTrans

At InnoTrans 2008 in Berlin, Siemens is presenting Desiro ML, the Siemens platform for suburban, regional and interregional passenger rail services. On display at this year’s show is a three-car version of the electric multiple unit like that ordered by Angel Trains, one of Europe’s biggest leasing companies of rolling stock, for the German regional rail operator Mittelrheinbahn.

The Desiro ML design is based on current European standards and is therefore especially well-suited for operation in European countries. It is available in various electric versions as well as a diesel-electric model. The first of 17 vehicles ordered from Siemens by Angel Trains in March 2007 are currently being built in Krefeld-Uerdingen in Germany and are scheduled to enter service in the Mittelrheinbahn network in December 2008. They will start carrying passengers on the Cologne—Coblenz and Coblenz—Mainz routes in Germany in time for the beginning of the Winter timetable. Each Desiro ML is built for at a maximum speed of 160 km/h, is 71 meters long and can seat 252 passengers. Thanks to its low boarding height, it also offers easy access for riders with impaired mobility.

The flexible platform story

In May 2008, the railway company in Belgium – "Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Belges/ Nationale Maatschappij der Belgische Spoorwegen" (SNCB/ NMBS) – also ordered a three-car version of Desiro ML from Siemens for its regional passenger rail services. The key to clinching this deal with SNCB/ NMBS was the single-car concept of the Siemens platform. Seating on Desiro ML can be arranged to suit varying capacity requirements – just one of the many advantages of this concept. This led SNCB to opt for the longer 9-meter unit, which has 280 seats and offers more space than the Angel Trains version.

Siemens will supply a total of 305 trains to SNCB/ NMBS between 2011 and 2016. Two hundred and ten units will operate in single mode (3 kV DC), and ninety-five in dual mode (3 kV DC/25 kV AC). Previous generations of Desiro multiple units are already providing successful service in such countries as Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Slovenia and the USA.

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