SBB: 5L demonstrator successful so far
SBB has carried out the first evaluation of the 5L demonstrator, the innovative freight train consisting of various new technologies. The train consisting of 16 wagons has been on the Swiss rail network since June last year and has covered 20,000 to 30,000 kilometers since then. The different components are in excellent condition, the Swiss railway compnay concludes.
Project manager Jessica Amberg has drawn a positive balance. In a blog of the SBB, she said to be satisfied so far: “The measurements showed that all components achieved good to very good results in all combinations. The 5L demonstrator train has been operating virtually trouble-free since June 2018.”
6 components
With the 5L demonstrator train SBB Cargo tested a total of six components on their functions and properties, designed by different manufacturers: the bogie (ELH, WBN, Tatra, Greenbrier), automatic coupling (Voith, Faiveley), the wheelset (Bochumer Verein, Lucchini, Bonatrans), disc brakes (Knorr, Faiveley, Dako) and intelligence (Bosch, PJ Messtechnik Graz, KES Keschwari brake system).
The 16 cars are equipped with sensors that measure all movements along the entire route. The sensors collect data on the mileage (divided according to direction of travel), the transport capacity (tonne-kilometer, divided according to direction of travel), the radius distribution, the speed distribution, the running quality, the applied braking energy and the run-up impacts.
What’s next?
The trial operation totals four years, with a mileage of 100,000 km per year. As soon as the necessary approvals have been obtained, the 5L demonstrator train will also be operating in Germany and Italy. This results in longer distances and more travel time, which leads to more meaningful measurement results, SBB explained.
According to the company, the 5L demonstrator train is just the beginning. With the 5L next, the next generation of the innovative freight car is already in the starting blocks. While the 5L demonstrator train consists of components that have already been used in some form before, the components of the 5L next are mostly new developments. The 5L next can first be spotted from 3 to 7 June 2019 at Transport Logistics in Munich.
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