INTRO: Deliveries are due to begin this month of rolling stock for Kowloon - Canton Railway Corp’s 160 km/h KTT service, which will start running between Kowloon and Guangzhou later this year
THIS MONTH is due to see the delivery of the first rolling stock to work 160 km/h inter-city expresses on the 181 km Kowloon - Guangzhou corridor. Kowloon - Canton Railway Corp and Guangzhou Railway (Group) Corp are working to upgrade the corridor to world class standards, and before the end of the year they expect to launch KTT express services targeted at business travellers and international tourists at the top end of the market.
KCRC is buying one trainset, which is expected to be able to operate a maximum of three return trips a day between Kowloon and Guangzhou, with an end-to-end journey time of around 1h 40min. In order to offer high seating capacity during peak periods, on a route that is already busy with commuter traffic at its southern end, double-deck coaches have been specified.
Each train will comprise two first class and 10 standard class coaches, with an electric locomotive at each end. To increase service frequency at a later date, the 2+12 formation may be split into two sets of 1+6, using an optional driving trailer at one end.
Following international tendering, a contract was awarded in November 1995 to a consortium led by Itochu Corp of Japan. Adtranz is responsible for the two locomotives and Kinki Sharyo is building the 12 double-deck coaches.
With deliveries due to be complete by August, it is hoped to begin revenue services between October and December. The exact date will depend on the completion of 25 kV 50 Hz electrification work on the GRC section from Lo Wu to Guangzhou.
Operational and safety requirements
KTT is designed for 160 km/h operation, the highest speed possible on the Hong Kong - Guangzhou route without recourse to tilting. High-capacity double-deck trains carrying 50% more passengers than conventional rolling stock were considered preferable to 200 km/h tilting equipment despite the possibility of an 11% reduction in journey times.
In view of the prospects of KTT trains running through the long tunnels on the projected West Rail route (RG 5.96 p259), the coaches have been designed to meet stringent fire safety standards. Adopting standards for underground railways wherever possible, materials were chosen and equipment designed so that fire and smoke levels would be as low as reasonably practicable.
A half-hour fire rating was specified for equipment cabinets and inter-car doors. Smoke detectors are installed at strategic locations throughout the train and dampers are fitted to the air-conditioning system to prevent smoke proliferation.
Should a fire break out in a tunnel, the train can be divided at the mid-point, where AAR-type couplers have been fitted. The unaffected half would then be used to evacuate passengers.
Wherever possible, proven technology has been chosen for KTT to minimise design and manufacturing start-up costs. The electric locomotives, for example, are members of the Adtranz/SLM Lok 2000 family.
Bogies for the double-deck coaches, combining coil spring primary and air-bag secondary suspension, have been developed from a Kinki Sharyo design for shinkansen high-speed trainsets. For the interiors, seats, air-conditioning and sliding plug doors have been chosen from a range of proven products.
KCRC is expecting 100% service availability from its trainset, with routine maintenance undertaken outside service hours.
Major overhauls requiring the removal of a vehicle from service will be carried out during periods when traffic is low. The train will be able to operate with only one loco, and all coach equipment has been designed on the principle of modular redundancy.
With the exception of static converter and air-conditioning unit replacement, all equipment maintenance can be undertaken from within the coach. A full train management system, incorporating diagnostic functions, has been specified for KTT.
Passenger coaches
The bodyshells are all-welded stainless steel structures, spray painted in KTT colours, but retaining the brushed steel background finish. KCRC appointed the Roundel Design Group to develop the branding and livery. Interior design was carried out by Jones Garrard to a modern, businesslike theme, with a note of luxury suggested by rich colour patterns derived from traditional Chinese costume.
First class coaches will each seat 74 passengers, and standard class 112; all seats can recline. Of the 1 268 seats in a 12-car train, around 30% will be arranged in facing pairs with tables. The remainder will be in airline-style rows, with a seat pitch of 1000mm in first class and 925mm in standard class. First class seating is 2+1, and standard class 2+2, with the seats cantilevered from the floor to facilitate cleaning and provide under-seat luggage space; seat supplier is Compin. Four video monitors per coach are provided for passenger entertainment. A range of audio channels will be available in first class, where passengers will be provided with headphones.
A Stone UK Ltd air-conditioning unit at each end of the coach roof feeds treated air into the passenger areas via grilles running the complete length of each deck. The interior temperature will be a constant 25°C with 55% relative humidity, whereas external ambient temperatures can climb to 35°C with 90% humidity.
Static converters on each vehicle take power at 1·5 kV 50Hz AC from the locomotive to supply 380V 50Hz AC for air-conditioning, lighting and catering equipment, and 110V DC for battery charging, control equipment and the emergency supply. If a static converter fails, its dependent equipment can be supplied from an adjacent coach. In the event of a complete power supply failure, battery power to the brushless DC evaporator fan motors will maintain emergency ventilation for an extended period.
Each coach has two vestibules, one for passenger use during boarding and alighting and the other for staff use. The entrance floor height is designed to allow level boarding from the high platforms at both Kowloon and Guangzhou; steps are provided for use at intermediate stations and for emergency detrainment. The entrance vestibule contains luggage stacks and two card-operated pay phones. There are two lavatory compartments with vacuum toilets, one each of Asian and western style.
The service vestibule area contains a multi-purpose compartment for a passenger in a wheelchair, bulky luggage or two seated passengers. There is also a pantry containing a refrigerator and two microwave ovens, where food will be prepared for at-seat trolley service; drinks will be complimentary, but food served only to order.
The lower deck of each first class car will be provided with a train manager’s compartment containing a control console for the public address, train management and video passenger information / entertainment systems.
Locomotives
The two Lok 2000 electric locos being supplied by Adtranz and SLM will be equipped with both KCRC and Chinese Railways ATP equipment. When operating on KCRC tracks, a current limiter will ensure that the amount of current drawn and the time it is drawn for do not exceed the requirements of a KCRC commuter EMU.
Locomotive pantographs will have a reach of almost 2 m to operate on West Rail where the contact wire has been set at 6700mm above rail height to accommodate double-stack container trains in the future. The standard Swiss cab air-conditioning capacity has been increased to 7·6 kW to cope with the sub-tropical climate of south China. o
CAPTION: Interiors of the 12 KTT express double-deck coaches being built by Kinki Sharyo. Above: first class with 2+1 seating, and second class with a 2+2 layout
CAPTION: Fig 1. KTT double-deck coach design. First and second class are in separate coaches; the cross section shows both layouts
CAPTION: Fig 2. KCRC has chosen a 25 kV version of Lok 2000 as motive power
Locomotive details
TABLE: Wheel arrangement Bo-Bo
Gauge 1 435 mm
Wheel diameter new/worn 1 125/1 055 mm
Distance between bogie centres 11 000 mm
Bogie wheelbase 2 800 mm
Length 18 500 mm
Width 3 000 mm
Height 4 310 mm
Power supply 25 kV 50 Hz AC
Continuous rating at motor shaft 5 000 kW
Continuous tractive effort at wheel rim at 91 km/h 210 kN
Weight 84 tonnes
KTT: l’express de grande capacité de Hong Kong
Les livraisons de matériel roulant pour le service KTT de la Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp, qui reliera Kowloon et Guangzhou en près d’une heure quarante minutes à partir de fin 1997, doivent commencer ce mois-ci. Deux locomotives électriques de 160 km/h et douze voitures de voyageurs à deux niveaux ont été fournies par un consortium de fabricants suisses et japonaisKTT: Hongkongs Hochleistungsschnellzug
In diesem Monat soll die Lieferung von Schienenfahrzeugen für den KTT-Verkehr des Kowloon-Canton Railway Corps beginnen, der von Ende 1997 an Kowloon und Guangzhou in etwa 1 Stunde und 40 Minuten verbinden wird. Zwei Elektrolokomotiven mit einer H
