Siemens Velaro
Encyclopedia
Siemens Velaro is a family of high-speed
EMU
trains used in Europe and China. The Velaro is based on Deutsche Bahn's
ICE 3
high-speed trains, but is a full Siemens product unlike the ICE 3 which involved other manufacturers.
Spain's RENFE
was the first to order Velaro trains, known as Velaro E, for their AVE
network. Wider versions were ordered by China for the Beijing-Tianjin high-speed rail (China Railways CRH3
) and Russia for the Moscow
–Saint Petersburg
and the Moscow–Nizhny Novgorod
routes (Velaro RUS/Сапсан
).
In July 2006 a Siemens Velaro train-set (AVE S-103) reached 403.7 km/h (250.8 mph). At that time, this was the world record for railed and unmodified commercial service trainsets.
Velaro E is a Spanish version of the Velaro family. In 2001, RENFE
ordered sixteen Velaros designated AVE S-103
. The order was later increased to a total of 26 trains. The trains serve the 621 km (386 mi) Barcelona
–Madrid
line at speeds up to 300 km/h (186 mph) for a travel time of 2 hrs 38 mins.
The first units were delivered in July 2005 and completed their first test runs in January 2006.
On 15 July 2006, a train achieved a top speed of 403.7 km/h (250.8 mph) between Guadalajara
and Calatayud
on the Madrid
–Zaragoza
line. This is a Spanish record for railed vehicles and a world record
for unmodified commercial service trainsets, as the earlier TGV
(world record of 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph)) and ICE
records were achieved with specially modified and shortened trainsets, and the Shinkansen
(443 km/h (275.3 mph), 1996) record was for a test (non-commercial) trainset.
Velaro CRH3C is a Chinese version of the Velaro. In November 2005, China ordered 60 trains for the Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Railway. The eight-car trains are very similar to Spain's Velaro E, but 300 mm (11.81 in) wider to fit in almost 50% more seats in a 2 plus 3 layout. In the CRH3C version, a 200-metre-long Velaro train will seat 600 passengers. These trains are being manufactured jointly by Siemens in Germany and CNR Tangshan
in China. The first Chinese-built CRH3C was unveiled on 11 April 2008.
CRH3C reached a top speed of 394.3 km/h (245 mph) during a test on the Beijing to Tianjin high-speed railway on 24 June 2008.
In September 2009, an additional 20 CRH3C sets were ordered by Chinese MOR.
In March 2009, 100 CRH380BL units were ordered by Chinese MOR for delivery in 2011. These trains are 16-car sets that will be capable of operating at speeds up to 380 km/h (236.1 mph) in regular service, and designed to reach a top speed of 420 km/h (261 mph). In September 2009, the Chinese MOR ordered an additional 40 16-car sets and 40 8-car sets. All of the 180 trainsets mentioned above will be manufactured by two Chinese companies, CNR Tangshan
and CNR Changchun, Siemens acts only as a component supplier. These trains were given the designations CRH380B (8-car set) and CRH380BL (16-car set) in September 2010.
The first CRH380BL set was completed by Tangshan Railway Vehicle
and unveiled to the public on 21 September 2010. In October 2010, the 16-car train was sent to the Beijing loop line for testing. In November 2010 the train was sent to Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway for a trial run. It reached the maximum speed of 457 km/h (284 mph) on 5 December 2010. During a test on 10 January 2011, a CRH380BL set reached a new record speed of 487.3 km/h (302.8 mph), breaking the previous record held by the CRH380A.
Velaro RUS is part of the Velaro family built for Russia. On 19 May 2006 Siemens announced an order from Russian Railways
for eight Velaro RUS high-speed trains including a 30-year service contract. The contract is in total worth €600 million. The trains, connecting Moscow
with Saint Petersburg
, and later also Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod
at a speed of up to 250 km/h (155 mph), are based on the ICE3 train standard but with bodies broadened by 33 cm (13 in) to 3.265 metre to suit Russia's standard loading gauge
.
Four of the trains are for both 3 kV DC and operation. The total length of each ten-car train is 250 m (820 ft), carrying up to 600 passengers.
Development and construction were carried out at Erlangen
and Krefeld
in Germany. Single-voltage EVS1 (3 kV DC) trains entered passenger service at the end of 2009 on the Moscow–St Petersburg route, and the dual-system EVS2 trains entered service on the Nizhniy Novgorod route in 2010.
It set a record for the fastest train in Russia on 2 May 2009, travelling at 281 km/h (174.6 mph) and on 7 May 2009, travelling at 290 km/h (180.2 mph).
international services from Germany. Designated DB's Class 407, it is designed to run at speeds up to 320 km/h (200 mph) and comply with Technical Specifications for Interoperability
and enhanced crashworthiness requirements. There are fire-proof equipment rooms and fire doors between cars. Velaro D is designed to be quieter and more reliable than the ICE 3 (Class 403/406).
The train is also expected to use up to 20% less energy than previous versions of ICE. This is achieved in part by improved body styling. It does not have the ICE3's panorama lounge whereby passengers in the end coaches can see the tracks over the driver's shoulder. The Class 407 has 460 seats: 111 in first class, 333 in second class and 16 in the bistro car. In total this is 37 more seats than the ICE 3, even though the seat pitch is unchanged. This is achieved by putting the traction equipment in compartments at either end of the train instead of hiding it behind panels the length of the train. Unlike all previous ICE versions, the passenger seating is all open-plan and there are no compartments.
The eight-coach Class 407 trains can couple up and work with their Class 403 and Class 406 predecessors. Eight of the 16 axles per train are powered, and there are four independent sets of traction equipment per train: if two of them break down, the train can still run. For full international flexibility across Europe, it can function on any of four voltages. The fleet will be based in Frankfurt.
In December 2008 Deutsche Bahn signed a €500 million order for 15 trainsets. The first train was unveiled in Krefeld
on 28 April 2010, and then handed over from Siemens to DB on 22 September 2010 at InnoTrans. Velaro D will come into operation from December 2011 on services from Frankfurt to southern France via the new LGV Rhine-Rhone, and subsequently on other international services in Germany, France, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands. The specification of the Velaro D will also allow it access to the Channel Tunnel
, enabling DB to use it on the services it plans to operate from 2013 from London to Amsterdam and Frankfurt.
Deutsche Bahn submitted safety documentation for the operation of Velaro D high speed trainsets through the Channel Tunnel to the Intergovernmental Commission in July 2011.
In June 2011, Deutsche Bahn ordered an additional Velaro D set in order to replace an ICE3MF set damaged in an accident in August 2010.
had selected Siemens as preferred bidder to supply 10 Velaro e320 trainsets at a cost of €600 million (and a total investment of more than £700 million with the refurbishment of the existing fleet included) to operate an expanded route network, including services from London
to Cologne
and Amsterdam
. These would be sixteen-car, 400 metres (1,312 ft) long trainsets built to meet current Channel Tunnel regulations, and would not be the same as the eight-car 200m Velaro D sets which Deutsche Bahn
wants to operate to London. The top speed will be 320 km/h (199 mph) and they will have more than 900 seats. Total traction power will be rated at 16 MW.
High-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
EMU
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
trains used in Europe and China. The Velaro is based on Deutsche Bahn's
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
ICE 3
ICE 3
ICE 3 is a family of high-speed EMUs of Deutsche Bahn. It includes classes 403 and 406, which are known as ICE 3 and ICE 3M respectively...
high-speed trains, but is a full Siemens product unlike the ICE 3 which involved other manufacturers.
Spain's RENFE
RENFE
Renfe Operadora is the state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains on the 1668-mm "Iberian gauge" and 1435-mm "European gauge" networks of the Spanish national railway infrastructure company ADIF .- History :The name RENFE is derived from that of the former Spanish National...
was the first to order Velaro trains, known as Velaro E, for their AVE
AVE
Alta Velocidad Española is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to . The name is literally translated from Spanish as "Spanish High Speed", but also a play on the word , meaning "bird".AVE trains run on a network of...
network. Wider versions were ordered by China for the Beijing-Tianjin high-speed rail (China Railways CRH3
China Railways CRH3
The CRH3 is a version of the Siemens Velaro high-speed train used in China on the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Rail line, Wuhan-Guangzhou Passenger Dedicated Line, Zhengzhou-Xi'an Passenger Dedicated Line and the Shanghai–Nanjing High-Speed Railway...
) and Russia for the Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
–Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
and the Moscow–Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
routes (Velaro RUS/Сапсан
Sapsan
Sapsan is a gauge high speed train in Russia. The design is part of the Siemens Velaro family....
).
In July 2006 a Siemens Velaro train-set (AVE S-103) reached 403.7 km/h (250.8 mph). At that time, this was the world record for railed and unmodified commercial service trainsets.
Velaro E
RENFE
Renfe Operadora is the state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains on the 1668-mm "Iberian gauge" and 1435-mm "European gauge" networks of the Spanish national railway infrastructure company ADIF .- History :The name RENFE is derived from that of the former Spanish National...
ordered sixteen Velaros designated AVE S-103
AVE Class 103
The AVE Class 103 is a series of AVE high speed trains for the Spanish state-run railway company RENFE.Trains have been constructed by Siemens, as the first member of the company's Velaro family.-History:...
. The order was later increased to a total of 26 trains. The trains serve the 621 km (386 mi) Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
–Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
line at speeds up to 300 km/h (186 mph) for a travel time of 2 hrs 38 mins.
The first units were delivered in July 2005 and completed their first test runs in January 2006.
On 15 July 2006, a train achieved a top speed of 403.7 km/h (250.8 mph) between Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Spain
Guadalajara is a city and municipality in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain, and in the natural region of La Alcarria. It is the capital of the province of Guadalajara. It is located roughly 60 km northeast of Madrid on the Henares River, and has a population of 83,789...
and Calatayud
Calatayud
Calatayud is a city and municipality in the province of Zaragoza in Aragón, Spain lying on the river Jalón, in the midst of the Sistema Ibérico mountain range. It is the second-largest city in the province after the capital, Zaragoza, and the largest town in Aragón other than the three provincial...
on the Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
–Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
line. This is a Spanish record for railed vehicles and a world record
Land speed record for railed vehicles
Determination of the fastest rail vehicle in the world varies depending on the definition of "rail".Official absolute world record for conventional train is held by the French TGV...
for unmodified commercial service trainsets, as the earlier TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
(world record of 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph)) and ICE
InterCityExpress
The Intercity-Express or ICE is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...
records were achieved with specially modified and shortened trainsets, and the Shinkansen
Shinkansen
The , also known as THE BULLET TRAIN, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen with a...
(443 km/h (275.3 mph), 1996) record was for a test (non-commercial) trainset.
Velaro CRH3C/CRH380B
Velaro CRH3C is a Chinese version of the Velaro. In November 2005, China ordered 60 trains for the Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Railway. The eight-car trains are very similar to Spain's Velaro E, but 300 mm (11.81 in) wider to fit in almost 50% more seats in a 2 plus 3 layout. In the CRH3C version, a 200-metre-long Velaro train will seat 600 passengers. These trains are being manufactured jointly by Siemens in Germany and CNR Tangshan
Tangshan Railway Vehicle
CNR Tangshan Railway Vehicle Co. Ltd. , formerly known as Tangshan Locomotive and Rolling Stock Works, is a manufacturer of locomotives and rolling stock located in Tangshan, Hebei province, People's Republic of China...
in China. The first Chinese-built CRH3C was unveiled on 11 April 2008.
CRH3C reached a top speed of 394.3 km/h (245 mph) during a test on the Beijing to Tianjin high-speed railway on 24 June 2008.
In September 2009, an additional 20 CRH3C sets were ordered by Chinese MOR.
In March 2009, 100 CRH380BL units were ordered by Chinese MOR for delivery in 2011. These trains are 16-car sets that will be capable of operating at speeds up to 380 km/h (236.1 mph) in regular service, and designed to reach a top speed of 420 km/h (261 mph). In September 2009, the Chinese MOR ordered an additional 40 16-car sets and 40 8-car sets. All of the 180 trainsets mentioned above will be manufactured by two Chinese companies, CNR Tangshan
Tangshan Railway Vehicle
CNR Tangshan Railway Vehicle Co. Ltd. , formerly known as Tangshan Locomotive and Rolling Stock Works, is a manufacturer of locomotives and rolling stock located in Tangshan, Hebei province, People's Republic of China...
and CNR Changchun, Siemens acts only as a component supplier. These trains were given the designations CRH380B (8-car set) and CRH380BL (16-car set) in September 2010.
The first CRH380BL set was completed by Tangshan Railway Vehicle
Tangshan Railway Vehicle
CNR Tangshan Railway Vehicle Co. Ltd. , formerly known as Tangshan Locomotive and Rolling Stock Works, is a manufacturer of locomotives and rolling stock located in Tangshan, Hebei province, People's Republic of China...
and unveiled to the public on 21 September 2010. In October 2010, the 16-car train was sent to the Beijing loop line for testing. In November 2010 the train was sent to Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway for a trial run. It reached the maximum speed of 457 km/h (284 mph) on 5 December 2010. During a test on 10 January 2011, a CRH380BL set reached a new record speed of 487.3 km/h (302.8 mph), breaking the previous record held by the CRH380A.
Velaro RUS EVS (Sapsan)
Russian Railways
The Russian Railways , is the government owned national rail carrier of the Russian Federation, headquartered in Moscow. The Russian Railways operate over of common carrier routes as well as a few hundred kilometers of industrial routes, making it the second largest network in the world exceeded...
for eight Velaro RUS high-speed trains including a 30-year service contract. The contract is in total worth €600 million. The trains, connecting Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
with Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, and later also Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
at a speed of up to 250 km/h (155 mph), are based on the ICE3 train standard but with bodies broadened by 33 cm (13 in) to 3.265 metre to suit Russia's standard loading gauge
Loading gauge
A loading gauge defines the maximum height and width for railway vehicles and their loads to ensure safe passage through bridges, tunnels and other structures...
.
Four of the trains are for both 3 kV DC and operation. The total length of each ten-car train is 250 m (820 ft), carrying up to 600 passengers.
Development and construction were carried out at Erlangen
Erlangen
Erlangen is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located at the confluence of the river Regnitz and its large tributary, the Untere Schwabach.Erlangen has more than 100,000 inhabitants....
and Krefeld
Krefeld
Krefeld , also known as Crefeld until 1929, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its centre lying just a few kilometres to the west of the River Rhine; the borough of Uerdingen is situated directly on the Rhine...
in Germany. Single-voltage EVS1 (3 kV DC) trains entered passenger service at the end of 2009 on the Moscow–St Petersburg route, and the dual-system EVS2 trains entered service on the Nizhniy Novgorod route in 2010.
It set a record for the fastest train in Russia on 2 May 2009, travelling at 281 km/h (174.6 mph) and on 7 May 2009, travelling at 290 km/h (180.2 mph).
Velaro D (DB Class 407)
Velaro D is specifically designed for Deutsche BahnDeutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
international services from Germany. Designated DB's Class 407, it is designed to run at speeds up to 320 km/h (200 mph) and comply with Technical Specifications for Interoperability
Technical Specifications for Interoperability
The ERA Technical Specification for Interoperability are specifications drafted by the European Railway Agency and adopted in a Decision by the European Commission, to ensure the interoperability of the trans-European rail system...
and enhanced crashworthiness requirements. There are fire-proof equipment rooms and fire doors between cars. Velaro D is designed to be quieter and more reliable than the ICE 3 (Class 403/406).
The train is also expected to use up to 20% less energy than previous versions of ICE. This is achieved in part by improved body styling. It does not have the ICE3's panorama lounge whereby passengers in the end coaches can see the tracks over the driver's shoulder. The Class 407 has 460 seats: 111 in first class, 333 in second class and 16 in the bistro car. In total this is 37 more seats than the ICE 3, even though the seat pitch is unchanged. This is achieved by putting the traction equipment in compartments at either end of the train instead of hiding it behind panels the length of the train. Unlike all previous ICE versions, the passenger seating is all open-plan and there are no compartments.
The eight-coach Class 407 trains can couple up and work with their Class 403 and Class 406 predecessors. Eight of the 16 axles per train are powered, and there are four independent sets of traction equipment per train: if two of them break down, the train can still run. For full international flexibility across Europe, it can function on any of four voltages. The fleet will be based in Frankfurt.
In December 2008 Deutsche Bahn signed a €500 million order for 15 trainsets. The first train was unveiled in Krefeld
Krefeld
Krefeld , also known as Crefeld until 1929, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its centre lying just a few kilometres to the west of the River Rhine; the borough of Uerdingen is situated directly on the Rhine...
on 28 April 2010, and then handed over from Siemens to DB on 22 September 2010 at InnoTrans. Velaro D will come into operation from December 2011 on services from Frankfurt to southern France via the new LGV Rhine-Rhone, and subsequently on other international services in Germany, France, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands. The specification of the Velaro D will also allow it access to the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
, enabling DB to use it on the services it plans to operate from 2013 from London to Amsterdam and Frankfurt.
Deutsche Bahn submitted safety documentation for the operation of Velaro D high speed trainsets through the Channel Tunnel to the Intergovernmental Commission in July 2011.
In June 2011, Deutsche Bahn ordered an additional Velaro D set in order to replace an ICE3MF set damaged in an accident in August 2010.
Eurostar e320
On 7 October 2010, it was reported that EurostarEurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
had selected Siemens as preferred bidder to supply 10 Velaro e320 trainsets at a cost of €600 million (and a total investment of more than £700 million with the refurbishment of the existing fleet included) to operate an expanded route network, including services from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
and Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. These would be sixteen-car, 400 metres (1,312 ft) long trainsets built to meet current Channel Tunnel regulations, and would not be the same as the eight-car 200m Velaro D sets which Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
wants to operate to London. The top speed will be 320 km/h (199 mph) and they will have more than 900 seats. Total traction power will be rated at 16 MW.
External links
- Velaro product family Siemens Page
- Velaro pdf Siemens Page
- Velaro E for Spain Siemens Page
- Velaro RUS for Russia Siemens Page
- Velaro CN for China Siemens Page
- Velaro E pdf Siemens Page
- Velaro RUS pdf Siemens Page
- Velaro CN Technical details, Siemens Page