Transport

A new high speed Gröna Tåget or ‘Green Train’ being developed by Banverket, the Swedish Railway Administration, and Bombardier Transportation, together with other partners, could slash energy consumption by up to 30%.

The Green Train, which has been in development since 2005, took its first test ride between Västerås and Stockholm in Sweden at the end of last week.

Based on Bombardier’s REGINA design, the new train relies on two of the company’s ECO4 technologies that aim to improve energy efficiency and performance:

• The MITRAC Permanent Magnet Motor, which is an engine technology, to increase propulsion chain efficiency resulting in lower operating costs and reduced environmental impact; and
• The EBI Drive 50, which is a driver-assistance system, can save up to 15% of traction energy by giving the train driver information on the train speed and traction force.

“The main aims of the project are to achieve 20% to 30% less energy consumption, reduce travel times and achieve fewer operational costs,” explains Per Kyhle of Banverket.

The project has focused on developments that can be made to trains without requiring new track to be laid.

“We also want to operate as fast and efficiently as possible using the present infrastructure, which often means sharing single tracks with cargo and regional trains,” adds Kyhle.

The results from the first test ride are promising, he says, and should improve the performance and energy efficiency of train operation. The Green Train can reach speeds of up to 295 km/h and in another test run reduced the journey time between Sweden and Gothenburg by 15 minutes.

“This joint effort has shown that our ’Green Train’ is not only the right train for operation in the Nordic region, but that it also presents a new generation of energy-efficient, sustainable high speed trains,” says Klas Wahlberg, Swedish representative of Bombardier Transportation.

The ECO4 technologies can be added to any of the company’s train fleet, he adds.

For further information:
www.banverket.se/en.aspx
www.bombardier.com/en/transportation
www.bombardier.com/en/transportation/media-centre/press-releases/details?docID=0901260d8003bb31