INTRO: From 2001 a fleet of tilting trainsets will cut 20min off Swiss Federal Railways’ journey times between Lausanne and St Gallen without the need for SFr500m of civil works
ORDERED in July 1996 at a cost of SFr497m as an alternative to expensive civil engineering works originally planned under the Bahn 2000 programme (RG 8.96 p515), SBB’s 24 tilting electric trainsets are being constructed by the ’InterCity Neigezüge SBB’ consortium of Adtranz, Fiat-SIG and Schindler. Project management, traction, auxiliaries, communications, control, air-conditioning and heating equipment are the responsibility of Adtranz. Schindler is manufacturing the bodyshells using aluminium extrusions and sandwich elements in the roof and underframe. Fiat-SIG is supplying bogies and tilting equipment, as well as complete inter-car gangways.
Styled by Pininfarina, each trainset will have seven cars. There is a second class driving motor car (Bt) at each end; the cabs are built in a structure that is crash-resistant up to 60 km/h. Another second class car (B) is marshalled next to each end car, one being allocated for smokers. In the centre of the formation are three first class trailer cars: one (WRA) has a bar-buffet and four compartments for groups of business travellers; these are equipped with power points for PCs and fax machines. Another first class car (A) has a compartment and toilet for disabled passengers, and the third (AD) provides smoking accommodation, a baggage area and three business compartments.
The WRA and AD cars each have a single pantograph with independent tilting for compensation of suspension movements, and contain transformer equipment. Eight of the set’s 28 axles are motored; each Bt driving car and the adjacent second class B car have the inner axles of each bogie powered; the converter equipment is installed on the B car. For maintenance purposes including train washing, the trainset can be split into a four-car and a three-car portion between the A and AD cars.
Total seating capacity will be 463, comprising 131 in first class, 326 in second class and six folding seats. Interior ambience will be similar to that of SBB’s IC2000 double-deck coaches (RG 8.94 p514), as the units will use the same modular interior components and meet the same noise specifications.
Air-conditioning will be provided by compact roof-mounted units of modular design to facilitate removal for maintenance. A modular approach has also been taken in the design of auxiliary equipment located underfloor and in the coach vestibules. Retention toilets will use biological treatment tanks, avoiding the need for frequent emptying. A passenger information system has been specified.
Electric tilt
Neigezug sees the first revenue-earning application of Fiat-SIG’s electric tilting system as pioneered on the rake of three former British Rail MkIII sleeping cars (RG 6.95 p367). Adtranz traction equipment includes water-cooled three-phase GTO converters.
The prototype unit is expected off the production line by June 1998, with deliveries at a rate of one series trainset per month due to begin a year later. Under Project Manager Max Wittwer, the consortium members have established a common office at the Adtranz Oerlikon works. The project management team, and SBB’s Neigezug Project Manager, report progress at regular intervals to a project management committee formed by the three manufacturers and SBB. o
CAPTION: Fig 1. Four of the seven cars in SBB’s IC-Neigezug. The second class driving car and adjacent vehicle have one powered axle on each bogie; the first class cars are trailers, although underfloor space is used to house electrical equipment
Trainset details
Train length mm 187600
Car length mm 26800
Bogie wheelbase mm 2600
Weight tonnes 355
Maximum speed km/h 200
Maximum output at wheel 5·2MW
Power supply 15 kV 16 2??3Hz
Maximum starting tractive effort kN 210
Number of powered axles 8
