High-tech drive systems for rail vehicles

Development of a completely new, speed-controlled drive system for the railway

Milan Central Station: It's 4 p.m. and one of Europe's fastest trains, the Frecciarossa1000, is already waiting for its passengers on platform number 1. I'm standing on the train platform and am on the way to Rome. After just 3 hours and 10 minutes of travel time, passengers will arrive in Rome, Termini Station. They used to travel twice as long on the 477 km long route.

In the high-speed shuttle through Italy: from Rome to Milan at almost 300 kilometers per hour

I work at VEM. My company produces electric motors, also for the railway industry. VEM worked with partners to develop a drive that cools the high-tech train's traction motor. In the first part I reported on the development of our speed-controlled drive system. Bombardier Transportation presented a model of the train in which our drive system is installed for the first time at InnoTrans in 2012. The high level of interest in the model made it clear back then that the new high-speed train would become very popular among future passengers. I can now see for myself the benefits of the train, which offers a high level of comfort and also enjoys a reputation for punctuality, safety and reliability. The Frecciarossa1000 also has active transverse suspension and does not have a tilting system, which makes traveling much more pleasant.

With its aerodynamic design, it runs significantly quieter and is well suited for high acceleration and for use on winding roads. It now runs at unsurpassed speed on many routes, connecting major cities from the north of Italy to the southern tip of Italy. For example, he commutes between: Turin - Milan - Reggio Emilia AV - Bologna - Florence - Rome - Naples - Salerno - and Reggio Calabria.

I'm sitting comfortably in the adjustable leather armchair, enjoying a cappuccino and barely noticing the high speed of 300 km/h that the train is traveling to Bologna on one of the express routes just 15 minutes after leaving Milan. Wi-Fi, a meeting room with conference technology, plenty of space for passengers and their luggage determine the interior design. There are screens in all carriages that display information about the trip. Dining cars, bar restaurants and exclusive travel services in executive and business class are also included to make travel as pleasant as possible for all passengers. Families who are on the way to see another city, commuters and I too are enthusiastic about the service.

Test drive of the Frecciarossa1000 - compact drives cool reliably

I remember, on March 26, 2013 the first train was presented to the public at the AnsaldoBreda Pistoia plant. A train was then equipped with measuring instruments in order to test it for possible errors on the Velim railway test ring. The other 4 trains ran on the Italian network. Our compact drives from the M21 AST BAH series also proved their worth during the test drives. The first 6 trains were released for regular rail traffic at Expo 2015.

The 200 m long train consists of eight cars. Of these, every second car is powered by four traction motors. To ensure that the engines work reliably and are properly cooled in high heat, they are equipped with a cooling system in which our drive works. When the train starts moving, the ambient temperature can be up to 70°C. When extreme ambient temperatures occur, such as those that occur in the southern Italian summer when driving out of train stations after several minutes of standstill, our drive must be able to deliver full power for 10 minutes. When entering or exiting tunnels, high temperature shocks also affect the drive mounted on the underbody and its control electronics. To ensure that the train's 16 traction motors can withstand these immense loads at full load, our compact drive is used: To guarantee this, compliance with railway standards is also part of it. Our M21 ... AST ... BAH series meets all the requirements that can be found with other information about the drive on our website under the link: Product info M21ASTBAH can be viewed. In addition, the traction motors and the cooling system are mounted on the underbody and must withstand extreme vibration and shock loads that occur during acceleration when starting, while driving and when stopping.

In the next few years, our drives will be replaced during the general overhaul of the first 50 trains. We attach great importance to particularly efficient and resource-saving solutions.

In the meantime we are driving more slowly again. We are at the gates of Rome. The train driver needs a distance of about four km to stop the train with its 1000 tons weight plus passengers and their luggage. My journey continues and so does the development of our drive. Stay tuned for the third part.