The railway has existed for hundreds of years. And during this time, trains have gone through a huge evolutionary path from massive trolleys moved by hand traction to super-fast cars operating on the principle of Today, there are express trains in almost every country. Let's see what the fastest train is in Russia and the world. Here is a rating of express trains that can reach speeds of over 300 kilometers per hour!
Belgium
In eleventh place are Belgian high speed trains TGV series (Train à Grande Vitesse). These trains were developed back in early 1987 and were supposed to run from Amsterdam to Paris, passing through Cologne and Brussels. Express trains were put into operation in 1997.
The modern HSL 1 runs on the high-speed line that connects the Belgian capital with the French railway. The train travels from Paris to Brussels (300 km) in just 82 minutes. And its average speed is close to 300 kilometers per hour. By the way, this method of transportation is not cheap. A high-speed train ticket costs 88 euros (half the price of air travel). However, there is an attractive
Taiwan
The top ten fastest trains in the world are opened by the Taiwanese locomotive THSR 700T. Long, dynamic and exclusive. The prototypes and examples for its creation were the Japanese Shinkansen trains. The maximum operating speed of the Taiwan Express is 300 kilometers per hour. However, in 2005 the mark reached 315 kilometers. Which allowed the THSR 700T to enter the top ten fastest.
The locomotive runs from Northern Taipei to Southern Kaohsiung. Twelve comfortable carriages can accommodate up to 989 passengers in one trip. The train is famous not only for its speed, but also for its safety and accuracy.
Germany
Ninth place in the ranking is occupied by German high-speed trains InterCity Express (ICE). The speed of this model on the Strasbourg-Paris railway reaches 320 kilometers per hour. Today, ICE express trains are the main German trains. long distances. They are also delivered to the nearest and to Russia (for example, the high-speed train Moscow - St. Petersburg).
Germany began developing high-speed models back in 1985, when the country was divided into two parts. And the first train got on the rails in 1991, after the unification. The ICE-V test model reached a speed of 407 kilometers per hour in test mode. However, it was not put into operation.
In 1984, Transrapid began developing a test railway line between the cities of La Tène and Derpen, operating on the Maglev system. On this line, trains will be able to reach speeds of up to 420 kilometers. But due to the disaster that occurred on the line in September 2006, which claimed the lives of 23 people, the launch of Maglev was postponed indefinitely. Today, locomotives run along this railway line only as sightseeing tours and attractions.
England
In eighth place in the ranking are UK high-speed trains. The best representatives are British Rail Class 373 and Eurostar. Their speed ranges from 300 to 335 kilometers. These TGV series (French model) electric trains entered service in 1994 and operate between three countries: Great Britain, France and Belgium. Their path lies through the famous railway tunnel under the English Channel. By the way, this tunnel is the second longest in the whole world.
If we return to speed, we need to talk about the record set by the Eurostar locomotive in 2003 - 334.7 kilometers per hour. The entire journey from Paris to London for such a train takes 136 minutes.
London trains are the most spacious in the world. They can carry up to 900 passengers. In addition, the high-speed Eurostar is considered one of the longest locomotives - it reaches 394 meters in length and has 20 carriages.
South Korea
Seventh place in the ranking is occupied by the Korean electric train KTX Sancheon. Its speed is from 305 to 352 kilometers. The locomotive began its first route in 2009. The developer is the world-famous company Hyundai Rotem, which took French TGV technology as the basis for creating the locomotive.
The electric train is owned by the South Korean National Railway. And despite the record set in 2004 (352 km/h), the speed of the express almost never exceeds 305 kilometers. All this is for safety reasons, of course. KTX Sancheon is a spacious (up to 363 passengers), comfortable and modern model, operating on the routes Seoul - Busan and Yongsan - Mokpo (via Gwangju).
Italy
In sixth place is the Italian express ETR-500. Its full name is Elettro Treno Rapido 500. The train was launched in Rome in 1993. The average operating speed of the express train is 300 km/h. Well, the locomotive set its record of 362 kilometers in 2009, while moving through the tunnel connecting Bologna with Florence.
The time it takes the ETR-500 to cover its route (Bologna - Milan) is just under an hour. By the way, this year in Italy it is planned to produce six locomotives of the new generation ETR-100. These cars will be able to reach speeds from 350 to 400 km/h.
Spain
The top five fastest trains are Spanish high-speed trains produced by the trading company Alta Velocidad Española, or AVE for short. This abbreviation is not accidental. In Spanish, "ave" means "bird". The company's most famous model is the luxury express AVE Talgo-350. It really flies like a bird, reaching speeds of 330 km/h.
AVE Talgo-350 is a high-speed comfortable train with a capacity of up to 318 people. It runs between Madrid, Valladolid and Barcelona. In 2004, during tests and tests, the locomotive was able to accelerate to its maximum speed - 365 km/h. By the way, it is also called “duck”. The train received this nickname due to its long front, which in appearance strongly resembles a duck’s beak.
China
Both fourth and third places are occupied by Chinese high-speed locomotives.
In fourth place is the “pure Chinese” CRH380A. Its manufacturer is the largest national company for the production of railway vehicles - CSR Qingdao Sifang Locomotive and Rolling Stock Company. The locomotive reaches speeds of up to 380 kilometers per hour. And during the tests he set his own record - 486 kilometers. CRH380A is a comfortable and spacious high-speed train Beijing - Shanghai, Shanghai - Hangzhou and Guangzhou - Wuhan. It began making its daily flights in September 2010.
Third place goes to the Chinese Shanghai Maglev Train. It is capable of reaching speeds from 431 to 501 kilometers per hour. The train operates on the Maglev magnetic suspension principle, which the Germans never adopted. By the way, Shanghai Maglev was developed not by the Chinese, but by the same Germans. And its prototype was the German locomotive Transrapid SMT. The Chinese high-speed train was put into operation in 2004 in the city of Shanghai. The maximum speed at which it travels daily on its route Shanghai - airport does not exceed 431 km/h. However, he can do more. During testing, the locomotive was accelerated to 501 kilometers per hour!
France
The second fastest trains in the world are the French TGV series. They travel routes from France to Switzerland and Germany. The average speed of the models is 320 km/h. The record was set in 2007 and was 574.8 km/h.
The French high-speed trains of the Train a Grande Vitesse system are among the most famous and fastest in the world. They broke world speed records several times. The development of such models began in France back in the 1960s. This was a kind of response to the creation by the Japanese of their Shinkansen. Today France boasts huge high-speed lines (more than 1,700 kilometers), as well as 4,000 locomotives of seven types.
Land of the Rising Sun
So, we come to the fastest train in the world. And this is the Japanese Shinkansen series. The speed of the high-speed train is 581 km/h. She breaks all world records to date. Japan became the first country to dedicate separate lines to high-speed routes from its railway system. The first such train made its pilot flight in 1964. This was timed to coincide with the Tokyo Olympics. Route: Tokyo - Osaka.
The first Shinkansen locomotive was designed in the shape of a bullet, hence the name. Even today they are called “bullets” in the old fashioned way. This also symbolizes their high speed feature. Express trains really fly at the speed of a bullet. The normal speed for the Shinkansen is 443 km/h. And the absolute world record, which was set in 2003, reaches 581 kilometers.
The modern Shinkansen is a comfortable high-speed express train consisting of sixteen durable and stable cars. The Japanese locomotive is not only the fastest in the world, but also the safest. Over the forty-five years of operation, trains of this brand have never been involved in major accidents! No casualties, no damage - complete safety.
By the way, Tokyo's railway network is the busiest in the world. During its existence, Shinkansen trains have carried more than six billion passengers! No other line can boast such numbers.
The fastest, the safest, and also the most accurate in the world. Thus, the locomotive covers the distance from Osaka to Tokyo in 145 minutes. And in 2003, having completed 160 similar flights, the Shinkansen deviated from the schedule by only six seconds...
Russia
Our country, of course, cannot boast of such impressive figures, and they do not reach 300 km/h. However, we can also boast of high-speed routes.
Until 2009, the ER200 train ran on the Moscow - St. Petersburg route. Its speed, as can be understood from the name, was 200 km/h. And during testing, the locomotive was able to accelerate to 210 kilometers. In 2009, this miracle of technology was written off and replaced by the Sapsan high-speed train. The locomotive received this name in honor of the peregrine falcon, which is considered the fastest bird in the world. The train was designed and assembled in Germany. At its peak it can reach speeds of up to 300 km/h. The manufacturer (Siemens) set the maximum design speed at 350 kilometers per hour. During testing on our railways, the locomotive was accelerated to 290 km/h. The Sapsan train moves along the route Moscow - St. Petersburg. He covers this distance in four hours, the average speed is 166 km/h. It is no longer dispersed for safety reasons. By the way, the express train traveling from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod generally moves at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour...
In Russia, in second place after Sapsan is the high-speed train Lastochka. It was also developed by the German company Siemens. He was specially sent to Russia for the beginning of the Winter Olympics in Sochi. It consists of five carriages and reaches 130 meters in length. Can also be operated in dual mode (with the addition of five more cars). The speed of the “Swallow” is lower - up to 160 km/h. It is designed for commuter routes and is equipped with high platforms. Today such trains run from Moscow, St. Petersburg and Krasnodar. And also as electric trains in Sochi and Tuapse.
In Russia, unlike other countries, there are no separately dedicated high-speed lines. Both the high-speed train “Lastochka” and the no less fast “Sapsan” run on pre-existing, albeit modernized, tracks. In addition, to introduce these express trains, several slower routes had to be eliminated. This, in turn, caused a lot of discontent among the local population. Moreover, the cost of tickets for such trains is quite high, even by the standards of Europe and Asia. For a trip in a locomotive from Moscow to St. Petersburg, you will pay the same amount as you would pay if you flew there by plane.
Modern high-speed trains in normal operation reach speeds of up to 350-400 km/h, and in tests they can even accelerate to 560-580 km/h. Thanks to the speed of service and high speed of movement, they seriously compete with other types of transport, while maintaining such a property of all trains as low cost of transportation with a large volume of passenger traffic.
The first regular service of high-speed trains began in 1964 in Japan under the Shinkansen project. In 1981, BCHT trains began running in France, and soon most of western Europe, including even the island of Great Britain, became connected by a single high-speed rail network. IN beginning of XXI century, China became the world leader in the development of a network of high-speed lines, as well as the operator of the first regular high-speed maglev.
High-speed trains mainly carry passengers, but there are also varieties designed to transport goods. Thus, for 30 years, the French service La Poste used special TGV electric trains, which were used to transport mail and parcels (their operation ended in June 2015 due to a reduction in recent years volume postal items) .
On average, according to European standards, the construction of 1 km of a high-speed highway costs 20-25 million euros, and its annual maintenance costs 80 thousand euros. The cost of one high-speed train with 350 seats ranges from 20 to 25 million euros, its annual maintenance costs 1 million euros.
Definition [ | ]
Concept High speed ground transportation(and also High speed train) is relatively arbitrary and may differ both by country and by historical periods. So, back at the beginning of the 20th century, high-speed trains were called trains traveling at speeds above 150-160 km/h. Due to the further increase in train speeds, this level gradually increased. Currently, for example, in Russia and France (on regular lines) its value is 200 km/h, in Japan, as well as in France (but for specialized lines) - 250 km/h, in the USA - about 190 km/h and so on.
In addition, in many countries such concepts as High speed train And High speed train. Despite the fact that the Soviet/Russian (use) ER200 and ChS200 (locomotive of the Aurora and Nevsky Express trains) reached speeds of 220 km/h on test trips, they are not high-speed, since their maximum operating speed does not exceed 200 km/h.
Scope of application[ | ]
It is more rational to use high-speed ground transport between distant objects, especially when there is a large regular passenger flow, for example, between a city and an airport, in resort areas or between two large cities. This explains the spread of high-speed trains in countries such as Japan, France, Germany and many others, where urban population density is high. The possibility of locating stations in a place convenient for passengers is taken into account, otherwise it will be faster for residents from the suburbs to get to another city by car if the road to the railway station takes too long.
Also, high-speed trains are effective in conditions of high prices for petroleum products, since most of the power for high-speed trains comes from power plants, which can use renewable resources (for example, the energy of falling water).
Story [ | ]
Trains speed up[ | ]
Experimental electric motorboat from Siemens & Halske, 1903
Soon after the opening of the first public railways, the public greatly appreciated the possibility of trains as a fast vehicle. Thus, at the Reinhill competitions held in 1829, the steam locomotive “Rocket” reached a speed of 38.6 km/h (according to other sources - 46.7 km/h), which at that time was a world speed record. Subsequently, the maximum speeds of trains continued to increase, and in September 1839, the Hurricane steam locomotive on the Great Western road (Great Britain) crossed the speed limit of 160.9 km/h. On May 10, 1893, high-speed steam locomotive No. 999.
The speed limit of 200 km/h was overcome on October 6, 1903 (a month before the first flight of the aircraft) on the test line Marienfelde - Zossen (a suburb of Berlin) by an experimental electric car created by the company Siemens & Halske, showed a record speed of 206 km/h. At the end of the same month (October 28) another electric car from the company AEG showed a speed of 210.2 km/h.
The first high-speed lines[ | ]
Despite numerous projects in European countries ah, the first public high-speed rail appeared on the other side of the continent - in Japan. In this country, in the mid-1950s, the transport situation along the eastern coast of the island of Honshu sharply worsened, which was associated with the high intensity of passenger traffic between the country's largest cities, especially between Tokyo and Osaka. Using mainly foreign experience (especially American), the Japanese Railways Administration quite quickly (1956-1958) created a high-speed railway project between these two cities. Construction of the road began on April 20, 1959, and on October 1, 1964, the world's first high-speed railway was put into operation. It was given the name “Tokaido”, the length of the route was 515.4 km, and the maximum permissible train speed was 210 km/h. The road quickly gained popularity among the population, as evidenced, for example, by the increase in the volume of passenger traffic carried out on the line:
- from October 1, 1964 to March 31, 1965 - 11 million passengers;
- from April 1, 1966 to March 31, 1967 - 43.8 million passengers;
- from April 1, 1971 to March 31, 1972 - 85.4 million passengers.
Already in 1967, the road began to make a profit, and by 1971 it had fully recouped its construction costs.
HSRs are united into a network[ | ]
To test the feasibility of this idea, a working group was formed from specialists from the International Union of Railways and, in 1989, developed the “Proposals for a European High-Speed Rail Network”, on the basis of which the Council of Ministers of the EU formed a working group called the “High-Level Group” ( also known as the "High Speed" group). This group included representatives of EU member countries, railway companies, enterprises producing railway equipment, as well as a number of other interested companies. On 17 December 1990, the Council of Ministers of the EU approved the report “European High-Speed Train Network” developed by the Group and the accompanying master plan for the development of high-speed railways in Europe until 2010.
Technologies [ | ]
For the most part, the technologies used at VSNT are similar to standard railway transport technologies. The differences are primarily due to the high speed of movement, which entails an increase in such parameters as centrifugal forces (occur when a train passes curved sections of the track, which can cause a state of discomfort among passengers) and movement resistance. In general, the increase in train speed is limited by the following factors:
To improve aerodynamic indicators, the trains have a streamlined front part and a minimum number of protruding parts, and the protruding parts (for example, pantographs) are equipped with special streamlined casings. Additionally, the undercar equipment is covered with special shields. Due to the use of such constructive measures, the noise level is also reduced, that is, the train becomes less noisy.
Mechanical resistance mainly consists of wheel-rail interaction, that is, to reduce resistance it is necessary to reduce the deflection of the rails. To do this, first of all, the railway track is strengthened, for which heavy types of rails, reinforced concrete sleepers, and crushed stone ballast are used. The loads from the wheels on the rails are also reduced, for which purpose aluminum alloys and plastic are used in the materials of the car bodies.
As one of the alternative possibilities for high-speed rail traffic and for testing high speeds on railway tracks, in the 1930s in Germany (Rail Zeppelin), in the 1960s in the USA (M-497) and in the 1970s in the USSR ( High-speed car-laboratory) tested prototypes of trains that did not have motor traction for bogies of wheel sets and were driven by turboprop and turbojet engines.
Also, in order to completely get rid of wheel friction, that is, to make the train hang above the tracks (non-rail guides or canvas), hovercraft trains with turboprop and turbojet engines (French, etc.) were developed, which were not widely used, as well as trains with magnetic levitation (maglev) with linear traction electric motors and superconductors, which have become somewhat widespread in the world.
To ensure high output power the train must be very powerful. This explains that almost all high-speed trains (with only rare exceptions) are electric rolling stock (electric locomotives, electric trains). The traction motors on first generation trains were DC commutator motors. The power of such an engine is limited primarily by the commutator-brush assembly (which is also unreliable), so brushless traction electric motors began to be used on trains of subsequent generations: synchronous (valve) and asynchronous. Such motors have much higher power, so, for comparison: the power of the DC traction motor of the TGV-PSE electric train (1st generation) is 538 kW, and the power of the synchronous traction motor of the TGV-A electric train (2nd generation) is 1100 kW.
To brake high-speed trains, electric braking is used primarily, regenerative braking is used at high speeds, and rheostatic braking is used at low speeds. However, modern ones (for example, used on 4th generation EPS) make it possible to use regenerative braking in almost the entire speed range on rolling stock with brushless electric motors.
VSNT and other types of transport[ | ]
VSNT and aviation [ | ]
Comparison of total travel time by train (red lines) and plane (blue line)
At the beginning of 2011, high-speed trains had not yet reached the speeds of passenger jet aircraft - 900-950 km/h. From this we can conclude that you can get from city to city by plane faster than by train. However, here the fact comes into force that most airports are located far from city centers (due to extensive infrastructure and high noise from aircraft), and the journey to them can take considerable time. In addition, registration before landing takes quite a long time (about 1 hour), as well as overhead costs for takeoff and landing. In turn, high-speed trains can depart from central stations city, and the time from ticket purchase to train departure can take about 15 minutes. Thus, this time difference allows trains to have some advantage over airplanes. The figure shows graphs of the approximate travel time by train and plane, taking into account the time to travel to the station or airport and check-in. Based on it, you can see that up to a certain distance total time travel by train will be shorter than by plane.
Replacing air traffic between cities with VSNT, first of all, allows you to free up a significant number of aircraft, which saves on expensive aviation fuel, and also allows you to relieve airports. The latter makes it possible to increase the number of long-distance flights, including intercontinental ones. It is worth noting that already with the launch of the first high-speed trains, there was a significant outflow of passenger traffic from domestic aviation to the high-speed railway, which is why airlines were forced to either reduce the number of such flights or attract passengers by reducing ticket prices and speeding up service. The safety factor also played a significant role here - in February-March 1966, a series of major plane crashes occurred in Japan (February 4, March 4, March 5), which caused an erosion of confidence in aviation.
High-speed ground transportation by country[ | ]
See also [ | ]
Notes [ | ]
- Rail transport: Encyclopedia / Ch. ed.
Reading time: 6 min.
The railway appeared many hundreds of years ago. There has been an evolution from heavy, clumsy trolleys to super high-speed express trains that cross vast distances in a matter of hours, due to magnetic levitation, which will surprise few people. This list includes the most fast trains, which develop breakneck speed and work like a clock.
Speed - 315 km/h
The development of this train was carried out according to the diagrams and drawings of the Shinkansen train, which originated in Japan. THSR 700T is located in Taiwan, its speed is from 300 to 315 kilometers per hour, it operates on the route north of Taipei - south of Kaohsiung. It has a dozen comfortable carriages and in total it can accommodate about 1000 people. In 2005, he reached his highest speed - 315 km/h.
Speed - 320 km/h
This type of high-speed trains is widespread on the German railway, as well as in a number of neighboring countries. On the road from Strasbourg to Paris, InterCity Express accelerates to 320 km/h. These are long-distance trains distributed throughout Germany. Now this type of trains has been purchased by Russia, where they operate on routes from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod and from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
Speed - 334.7 km/h
Designed in the UK, the TVG high-speed train crosses the UK, Belgium and France through the Channel Tunnel (which has the second longest track in the world). The train seats nine hundred people and travels at a typical speed of 300/h. and the speed record of this train occurred in 2003 and is equal to 334.7 km/h. To get from London to Paris, you just need to take a Eurostar ticket and you'll be there in less than two and a half hours.
Speed - 352 km/h
This train has another name, it is known as KTX II, its first appearance in South Korea was recorded in 2009. Created by Hyundai Rotem, based on the design of the French TGV train, it belongs to Korail (the national railway operator of South Korea). Although this train can reach the stated speed of 352 km/h, which was reached in 2004, for safety reasons its speed does not exceed 305 km/h. The train's comfortable carriages accommodate 363 people, and it travels on two routes: Yongsan - Gwangju - Mokpo and Seoul - Busan.
Speed - 362 km/h
This electric train was released in Italy a quarter of a century ago, today its speed is 300 km/h, the official record was set in 2010 between Florence and Bologna and is equal to 362 km/h. It takes him just under an hour to get from Bologna to Milan. Three years ago several ETR-1000 trains were supposed to go out, maximum speed which should have reached 400 km/h, but release was delayed due to lack of funding.
AVE Talgo-350
Speed - 365 km/h
AVE (Alta Velocidad Española) is a trademark of the Spanish Railways operator Renfe-Operador. This abbreviation AVE also means "bird" in Spanish. Each train of this class is high-speed, but the AVE Talgo-350 will be of interest to us, its capacity is 320 people. It reaches speeds of up to 330 km/h, traveling from Madrid to Valladolid and from Madrid to Barcelona. In 2004, during an experiment, he was able to accelerate to 365 km/h. Due to its design, this electric train is nicknamed Pato ("duck").
Speed - 486.1 km/h
The maximum speed for this Chinese train, according to all documents, is 380 km/h, but as it turned out, this is not the limit and it was able to reach a speed of 486.1 km/h. CSR Qingdao Sifang Locomotive and Rolling Stock Company is the company that produces these bullet trains. The 8 carriages of this luxurious train are decorated in an airplane style and can accommodate about 500 people. This train first appeared on the rails in 2010 and followed the Shanghai-Nanjing route. Then two more routes were added: Wuhan - Guangzhou and Shanghai - Hangzhou.
Speed - 501 km/h
The Shanghai Maglev is a Chinese-made bullet train that runs on magnetic levitation. It was first seen in Shanghai in 2004. The average speed is 431 km/h, making the journey from the city center to the airport (30 kilometers) a five-minute drive. On November 12, 2003, an amazing event took place - the Shanghai Maglev Train reached a speed of more than five hundred kilometers per hour. The most interesting thing is that this train was developed not entirely by the Chinese, but by the Germans. Transrapid SMT is the model that served as the prototype for this train.
Speed - 574.8 km/h
TVG are French trains that travel between France and Switzerland and France and Germany. Their average speed is 320 km/h. Despite this, the TGV POS model broke all speed records among trains running on rails, reaching 574.8 km/h in 2007.
Speed - 581 km/h
The name of these trains comes from a Japanese word that means "new highway". These trains received another nickname - “bullet”, they hold the absolute world record for trains that ran with magnetic suspension - 581 km/h, on rails the result is more modest, but still impressive - 443 km/h. The journey between Osaka and Tokyo with such a high-speed train will take only two and a half hours. In addition to the fact that these are the fastest trains in the world, they are also the safest; in more than four decades of operation, not a single accident has occurred.
February 13, 2016 There is no common understanding of the term “best” in relation to passenger trains in the world, since comfort, speed, cost of travel, and a number of other factors are important for passengers. Therefore, railway companies and train designers are working in different directions - increasing speed, improving comfort, and achieving reductions in energy consumption and transportation costs. We will tell you what has been done in these areas in recent years in Russia.
Peregrine Falcon
The most famous high-speed electric train in Russia today, it even has its own Twitter account and LiveJournal blog. The Sapsan project was developed specifically for Russia by the German company Siemens.
The Sapsan departed on its first, loudly advertised commercial flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg on December 17, 2009, and now runs on the Moscow - St. Petersburg (five trains per day) and Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod (two trains per day) lines. The electric train is capable of reaching speeds of up to 300 km/h, but at Russian roads its maximum speed is 250 km/h, on the section Malaya Vishera - Okulovka (Mstinsky Bridge), and the main part of the route "Sapsan" moves at a speed of 200 km/h. The number of carriages in the train is 10, the number of seats is 592.
The cost of travel on the Sapsan on the Moscow – St. Petersburg line in economy class is from 2320 rubles (one way) and in business class from 4200 rubles, on the Moscow – Nizhny Novgorod line from 1080 rubles in economy class and from 4650 rubles in business class.
Allegro
This high-speed train, well known to St. Petersburg residents, can be considered, at best, half Russian. The Allegro train runs between St. Petersburg and the capital of Finland, Helsinki, and is jointly operated by Russian Railways and the Finnish company Suomen Valtion Rautatiet. The project developer and manufacturer is the Finnish company Alstom.
On the territory of Finland the train moves at a speed of 220 km/h, on the territory of Russia - at a speed of 200 km/h; the railway infrastructure no longer allows it. The high-speed train “Allegro” covers the distance from our northern capital to the capital of the Country Suomi in 3 hours 50 minutes, with stops in the border Vyborg and some Finnish cities - Vainikkala, Lahti, Pasila and others.
The number of cars in the Allegro train is 7, the number of seats is 352, plus 2 seats for disabled people. The basic fare is 84 euros in a second class carriage and 104 euros in a first class carriage.
ES "Swallow"
This high-speed electric train, running in the Krasnodar region, can rightfully be considered “the most expensive electric train in Russia.” “Swallow” is one of the most ambitious and costly projects related to the 2014 Olympics. To implement it, Russian Railways signed a contract with the German company Siemens in 2009, according to which the company must supply 54 Siemens Desiro Rus electric trains to Russia in the amount of 410 million euros. And in 2013, Russian Railways entered into a new contract with Siemens for technical and service maintenance of trains for 40 years, worth 500 million euros. By the way, the letters ES in the name of the train mean “Electrosiemens”.
Each “Swallow” has five carriages. Seating - 409; there are also 4 seats for passengers with disabilities, and a toilet room. When there is a large passenger flow, for example on the Adler – Tuapse route, two coupled trains of 10 cars are sent on the route.
And if it weren’t for the rude controllers of Russian Railways and the carriages packed to capacity with passengers, these electric trains could easily be called one of the most comfortable types of transport in Russia. In the summer months, despite the high season and crowds of tourists, trains rarely run on the Tuapse-Sochi-Olympic Park route, which is why most passengers have to stand for hours in unsuitable passages. It looks something like in the Moscow metro cars at rush hour, but unlike the metro, the Swallow salons with narrow passages are not at all suitable for standing passengers.
In its homeland, Spain, this high-speed train is called Talgo 250. True, the train is Spanish, from the company Patentes Talgo S.L. The train only has carriages; it is planned to use domestic locomotives - EP20. From June 1, 2015, Swifts will operate on the route Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod. From the capital, with stops in Dzerzhinsk and Vladimir, the train will travel to Nizhny Novgorod for 3 hours 45 minutes.
The number of cars in the Strizh train is from 7 to 11. There are 299 passenger seats in the 11-car train, and 236 seats in the standard 8-car train. The cost of travel in a carriage with standard seats is 1,150 rubles, in a luxury class carriage – 7,570 rubles.
Since 2013, train No. 103 with double-decker cars produced at the Tver Carriage Plant has been running on the Moscow-Adler route. This type of carriage (compartment) has 64 berths instead of the usual 36, and the SV-class carriage has 32 berths (instead of 18 in the usual version). Such “densification” should lead to cheaper tickets, but so far nothing of the kind has been observed. A place in a compartment to Adler in a double-decker carriage costs 7,540 rubles, in a single-decker – 7,140 rubles. From June 1, 2015, a passenger train with double-decker cars No. 5/6 will run on the most popular route Moscow - St. Petersburg, the cost of a compartment ticket to St. Petersburg is 2,670 rubles.
In general, we have to admit that the “best” passenger trains in Russia are by no means the best, since they are not the fastest, not the most comfortable and not quite “ours”. Of all the loudly promoted Russian Railways projects listed above, only double-decker carriages are produced in Russia, but the trains that are formed from them are ordinary, except that the passengers in them had to “make room” a little and “fork out” extra money. There was also the long-suffering “Falcon-250” that never took off….
"Falcon-250"
About sixty Russian enterprises and organizations took part in the creation of a prototype domestic model of a high-speed dual-power electric train (DC and AC) “Sokol-250”. It was assumed that the new train would be able to reach speeds of up to 350 km/h. During acceptance tests of the Sokol-250 prototype in June 2001, a speed of 236 km/h was achieved for the first time - a record for Russian railways at that time. However, the acceptance committee recognized the commissioning of the Sokol as impossible due to many design flaws - overheating of the brake discs, unreliability of the braking system, insufficient tightness of the cars, etc. Several cars from the Sokol-250 experimental train are located on the sidings of the Central Museum October Railway.
High speed train movement
The following gradation of passenger train speeds has developed:
up to 140-160 km/h – train movement on conventional railways;
up to 200 km/h – express train traffic, as a rule, on reconstructed lines;
over 200 km/h – high speed traffic on specially built high-speed highways (HSM).
The history of the development of Russian railways shows a consistent increase in speeds. Back in 1901, on the St. Petersburg - Moscow railway, courier trains operated at a maximum speed of 110 km/h. In 1913, in experimental trips with a regular C series locomotive, a speed of 125 km/h was reached, and in 1915, with an L series locomotive, a maximum speed of 117 km/h was achieved.
In 1938, on the Moscow-Leningrad highway, for the first time in the USSR, a speed of 177 km/h was reached when testing a steam locomotive manufactured by the Kolomna Plant with an axle formula of 2-3-2 and an axle load of 20.5 tons. Trips (test and operational) were carried out on rails weighing 43.6 kg/m. In the 1960s, a series of experimental trips were carried out between Moscow and Leningrad, in which the maximum speed reached 220 km/h.
In 1972, experimental trips of a passenger car with turbojet engine at a speed of 240 km/h.
The first projects for the Moscow-Leningrad expressway were developed back in the 1930s (K.N. Kashkin, G.D. Dubiler, I.V. Romanov). However, in reality, work on organizing railway traffic at higher speeds began only in the early 1960s.
After laying a continuous track from P65 rails, replacing turnouts, completing electrification and using electric locomotives of the ChS2 series, the Aurora daily express was put into service on the Moscow-Leningrad line in 1964 with a route speed of 130.4 km/h.
The first high-speed train in the USSR, ER 200 (“Rizhsky Electric Train”), which had a maximum speed of 200 km/h, was developed and manufactured in 1968-74. Since 1984, the ER 200 electric train has been in operation on the Moscow – Leningrad line. The travel time of this train between the end points was 4 hours 30 minutes, the route speed was 144 km/h. Simultaneously with the ER 200, another high-speed train was being developed, called the Russian Troika, designed for speeds of up to 200 km/h. The train was supposed to be a permanent train consisting of RT 200 cars from the Kalinin (from 1990 Tver) carriage plant and an electric locomotive ChS 200 (produced in Czechoslovakia). 8 prototype cars were manufactured, which showed good results in tests, but the Russian Troika train was not used in commercial operation.
Since 1994, an industry development program has been implemented in Russia high-speed traffic, in accordance with which projects were implemented to create special rolling stock for maximum speeds of up to 200 km/h: high-speed passenger electric locomotives EP 100 DC and EP 200 AC, passenger cars of various classes for high-speed traffic.
In 2009, high-speed Sapsan trains, produced in collaboration with Siemens, began operating on the Moscow–St. Petersburg line. The maximum speed of these trains is 250 km/h. The distance of 650 km is covered in 3 hours 45 minutes. In the first year, 2 million passengers were transported. In the summer of 2010, the movement of Sapsan trains was organized on the Moscow – Nizhny Novgorod direction.
In December 2010, regular service of high-speed trains “Allegro”, manufactured by Alstom, began between St. Petersburg and Helsinki. The maximum speed of the new electric train in Russia is 200 km/h, in Finland – 220 km/h. Travel time on this international route has been reduced from 6 hours 18 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes.
One of the strategic directions of innovative development of JSC Russian Railways for the period until 2015 is the expansion of high-speed passenger train traffic (Fig. 67). The importance attached to the high-speed movement of passenger trains is evidenced by the Decree “On measures to organize the movement of high-speed railway transport in the Russian Federation” signed on March 16, 2010 by the President of the Russian Federation.
The history of the development of railway transport has many achievements in the field of increasing speed, often they were a kind of technical sensation. Back in 1847, in England, on one of the 92 km sections of the Great Western Railway, passenger trains reached speeds of 93 km/h. In 1890, the Crampton steam locomotive in France with a train weighing 157 tons reached a speed of 144 km/h. A German electric train has surpassed the speed limit of 200 km/h for the first time. In 1903, on the Marienfelde-Zossen section, a speed of 210 km/h was reached during testing.
Rice. 67. Development of high-speed passenger traffic in Russia
In 1955, the speed limit of 300 km/h was exceeded for the first time in France and a speed record was set at 331 km/h. This record was improved on February 28, 1981 - the TGV train reached a speed of 380 km/h.
Continuing work in this area shows that the traditional wheel-rail transport system has not exhausted its capabilities. In 1988, in Germany, when testing an experimental ICE train, a speed of 406.9 km/h was achieved. But this milestone was soon surpassed: in 1989, a TGV train in France reached a speed of 412, then 482.4, and finally, in May 1990, an incredible speed record was set - 515.3 km/h.
For the first time in the world, the idea of high-speed rail traffic was implemented in Japan (Fig. 68), between the cities of Tokyo and Osaka, where the Tokaido high-speed line, 516 km long, was put into operation in 1964. The maximum speed on the new line was 210 km/h, and the trip from Tokyo to Osaka took 3 hours 10 minutes.
Due to their high speed and comfort, high-speed trains have gained widespread popularity among the population. Within 5 years, passenger traffic on this line more than doubled and reached 70 million people. per year. Such significant volumes of work provided a solid basis for the economic viability of the high-speed line and allowed Japanese Railways to plan further construction of such lines.
Rice. 68. The first high-speed electric train (Japan)
In 1970, Japan passed a law creating a nationwide network of high-speed rail lines, which was called Shinkansen. This gave new impetus to the development of high-speed traffic. In 1975, the Sanye high-speed line came into operation. Having crossed the strait, this line reached the city of Fukuoka, connecting two islands - Kyushu and Honshu.
1982 saw the opening of two more new high-speed lines (HSL): the Tohoku Line, located north of Tokyo and connecting the cities of Omiya and Marioka, and the Zeetsu Line, crossing the island of Honshu from the coast of the Sea of Japan to the Pacific coast on the Omiya-Niigata route. In the early 2000s, the length of the high-speed railway network in Japan, which includes six main lines, exceeded 2100 km, and the maximum speed of trains traveling along it is 240-260 km/h (Fig. 69).
Shinkansen highways are intended for passenger traffic only. Unlike conventional railways, which have a narrow gauge, the gauge of high-speed lines complies with the European standard and is 1435 mm. As a result, Shinkansen type trains are forced to operate in a closed system. High-speed highways enter directly into the centers of cities and towns, crossing them on overpasses 25-30 m high.
Rice. 69. Japanese high-speed electric train 300 series
When creating the Shinkansen network, Japanese specialists solved a number of complex engineering problems related to the choice of track structure, the creation of new rolling stock, artificial structures and other technical means.
Traffic safety devices occupy a special place in these developments. The principle of their operation is that if any malfunction or violation of the operating mode occurs that creates a safety hazard, the train stops immediately. For land transport, this means eliminating the hazard.
Practice has proven the high efficiency of the security system used. During the entire operation of the Shinkansen lines, there was not a single accident or crash, not a single passenger was killed or injured. And by the end of the 1990s, about 3 billion people were transported.
Every day, 427 high-speed express trains run along the Shinkansen highway, carrying more than 440 thousand people.
Underway great work to create a new generation of trains in order to achieve a speed of 300-350 km/h on the existing high-speed railway network in Japan. Since the permanent devices of this network were designed for speeds of up to 250 km/h, it was necessary to significantly reduce the axle load. This was achieved - in the experimental train the axle load is less than 8 tons.
The ideologist of high-speed rail systems in Europe is France. After two years of theoretical development, in 1976 the Society of Railways (SNCF): began construction of the Paris-Lyon high-speed line, and in September 1981 the TGV high-speed train was given the green light on this line (Fig. 70). The design of the TGV system was carried out in such a way that trains could run on the new line at a speed of 270 km/h and switch to the regular railway network. Thanks to this, an accelerated railway connection between Paris and the south-eastern regions of France was ensured. Currently, TGV trains in the southeast direction serve more than 50 settlements, where 56% of the country's population lives. The length of the TGV - South-East network is 2,487 km, of which 417 km are on the new line.
Commercial traffic speeds increased sharply. On the Paris-Lyon route it was 213 km/h, and the travel time between these cities was reduced to 2 hours.
Rice. 70. French high-speed double-decker electric train TGV Duplex
Based on the first successes, the French Railway Society proposed, and the President of the Republic and the government, decided to build a new high-speed line TGV - Atlantic, which was put into operation in September 1989. The total length of the line is 285 km.
Just like the TGV line - South East, the new high-speed line is intended exclusively for passenger transport. A new generation of high-speed trains TGV - Atlantic has been created for the Atlantic line, the maximum speed of which during commercial operation on newly built sections is 300, and on conventional railway lines - 220 km/h.
Then the HSR “North” was put into operation - direction to Belgium and to the Channel Tunnel (332 km); a bypass high-speed railway around Paris, connecting the high-speed lines of France and a number of European countries into a single network (102 km). The total length of the French high-speed railway by 2004 was almost 1,500 km and the construction of several more lines is ongoing.
The French concept of high-speed rolling stock provides for the creation of trains of permanent formation with locomotive traction. Two electric locomotives are placed at the ends of the train, and passenger cars are located between them. A feature of the French TGV train is the use of articulated cars on intermediate bogies.
In Germany, the first high-speed railway line appeared in 1991; today the length of such lines is 800 km (Fig. 71). In Spain and Italy, high-speed highways with a length of 471 and 236 km, respectively, were introduced in 1992.
Rice. 71. German high-speed electric train ICE 3
In 1992, trains consisting of cars with forced tilting bodies began to operate in Sweden. Such trains reach a speed of 220 km/h. IN different countries Up to 20 types of such cars have already been created.
In the UK, three main routes are being improved: London - Glasgow, London - Newcastle - Edinburgh and London - Bristol - Cardiff to achieve speeds of 225 km/h.
Following Europe and Japan high speed movement is also developing in the USA, where for a long time the main role was played by road and air transport. There are seven projects to create high-speed rail transport systems in the United States. Some of them are under consideration, others have been carried out scientific research and pre-design developments. Currently, the highest speed (193 km/h) for passenger trains is realized in the so-called Northeast Corridor on the Washington - New York section. On the new highways, traffic speeds will reach 270-300 km/h.
High-speed rail projects are closest to implementation in the states of Texas and Florida. In Florida, the 540 km line, designed for a speed of 280 km/h, will be built between the cities of Miami, Orlando and Tampa using a traditional wheel-rail design. In Texas, high-speed lines will connect the cities of San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston.
Work on the creation of high-speed railways is being carried out on almost all continents. Australia has announced plans to build a high-speed line between the cities of Sydney and Melbourne. High-speed trains for it will be supplied by leading companies in France and Germany, which have succeeded in creating TGV and ICE trains. German enterprises must supply Australia with high-speed locomotives, and French enterprises must supply carriages. The new 870-kilometer line will feature 30 pairs of trains with average speed 292 km/h and maximum 350 km/h.
On high-speed lines, track design, signaling and communication devices largely retain traditional principles.
However, they are becoming qualitatively new in terms of knowledge intensity, reliability and methods of content. Their necessary elements are microprocessors and computers, diagnostic and information sensors, fine sensitivity devices for detecting earthquakes, snowfalls and other situations. All this in double and sometimes triple redundancy ensures 100% traffic safety.
The main trends in the creation of new types of high-speed electric trains are the maximum lightweight design of cars, reduction of energy consumption due to high aerodynamic performance, the use of microcomputers and microprocessor devices, as well as new, more economical and reliable electrical equipment systems for traction.
Currently, the HSR system has been technically, technologically and economically tested. High-speed highways have been built, are under construction or are being designed in many countries around the world for almost 50 years. The high efficiency of high-speed rail has been proven, and therefore, today any country, if there are the necessary economic conditions for this, can design and build high-speed rail using known technical and technological solutions
References
1. Aksenov I.Ya. Regulation of transportation on foreign railways. M. Transzheldorizdat, 1958, 179 p.
2. Borovoy N.E. Routing of cargo transportation. M. "Transport", 1978, 216 p.
3. Vvedensky V.A. Notes and critical essays on the operation of Russian railways. St. Petersburg. 1903 110 p.
4. Velichko V.I., Sotnikov E.A., Golubev B.L. Corporate transport service system. M. Intext, 2001, 184 p.
5. Virginsky V.S. The emergence of railways in Russia before the early 40s of the 19th century. – M.: Transzheldorizdat, 1949. – 278 p.
6. Witte S.Yu. Memories. – M.: Publishing house of socio-economic literature. T. 1, 1960 – 556 p.
7. Galitsinsky F.A. Railroad capacity and traffic confusion. – St. Petersburg, 1899. – 249 p.
8. Golovachev A.A. History of railway business in Russia. – St. Petersburg, 1881. – 404 p.
9. Dr. Martens. Thirty years (1882-1911) of Russian railway policy and its economic significance. Ed. NKPS. Translation from the German edition of 1919, 285 pp.
10. Railway workers in the Great Patriotic War / Ed. N.S. Konareva. M.: Transport, 1987. 590 p.
11. Zenzinov N.A., Ryzhak S.A. Outstanding engineers and scientists of railway transport. – M.: Transport, 1978. – 327 p.
12. Informatization on railway transport. History and modernity / V.S. Nagovitsyn, E.S. Poddavashkin, I.V. Kharlanovich, Yu.S. Handkarov. – M.: “Veche”, 2005. – 720 p.
13. Historical sketch of the development of the organization of the Department of Transport. – St. Petersburg. 1910. – 115 p.
14. History of railway transport in Russia. Volume 1, 2, 3, St. Petersburg, 1994, 336 pp., 1997, 416 pp., 2004, 631 pp.
15. Brief information about the development of domestic railways from 1838 to 2000, comp. G.M. Afonina M., 2002, 232 p.
16. Kreinis Z.L. Essays on the history of railways. – M.: State Educational Institution “Training and Methodological Center for Education in Railway Transport”, 2007. – 335 p.
17. Kudryavtsev V.A. Traffic control in railway transport. – M.: Route, 2003. 203 p.
18. Levin D.Yu. Dispatch centers and transportation process management technology. M. Route, 2005, 760 p.
19. Melnikov P.P. – engineer, scientist, statesman – St. Petersburg, Humanistics, 2003, 472 p.
20. Report of the Minister of Railways Pavel Petrovich Melnikov to Emperor Alexander II for 1866. Published in the journal of the Ministry of Railways. Volume nine. St. Petersburg, 1868.
21. Petrov A.P. Train formation plan. – M.: Transzheldorizdat, 1950. 278 p.
22. Rules for operation, number registration and payments for the use of freight cars owned by other states. Council for Railway Transport of the CIS Member States, 2004, 87 p.
23. Senin A.S. Moscow railway junction 1917-1922. M. Editorial URSS, 2004, 576 p.
24. Sotnikov E.A. History and prospects of world and Russian railway transport (1800-2100) - M.: Intext, 2005 - 112 p.
25. Sotnikov E.A. Railways of the world from the 19th to the 21st centuries. – M.: Transport, 1993. – 200 p.
26. Sotnikov E.A., Levin D.Yu., Alekseev G.A. History of the development of the transportation process management system in railway transport (domestic and foreign experience). – M.: Tekhinform, 2007. – 237 p.
27. Station St. Petersburg Sorting Moscow 120 years (1879-1999), St. Petersburg, 1999, 96 p.
28. Technical railway dictionary. M. State Transport Railway Publishing House. M. 1946, 606 p.
29. Technical reference book for railway workers. M. State Transport Railway Publishing House. 1956, 739 p.
30. Tishkin E.M. Information and control technologies for the operation of the rolling stock. Proceedings of VNIIAS, vol. 4. M.: 2005. 188 p.
31. Tulupov L.P. and others. Automation of control of the transportation process using electronic computer technology, M., 1966. Transport, 167 p.
32. Shavkin G.B. Layouts and equipment of US railway marshalling yards and Western Europe. M. VINITI AN USSR, 1960, 63 p.
33. Sharov V.A. Technological support for cargo transportation. M. Intext, 2001, 198 p.