27.01.06 | In the Netherlands, test runs have begun on the country’s first high-speed rail route. A high-performance locomotive from Siemens will be pulling two Deutsche Bahn cars equipped with measuring instruments — at speeds from 120 to 250 kilometers per hour. When the service begins on the route in 2007, trains will be hurtling along its rails at 300 km/h.

The stretch from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport to Rotterdam to the Belgian border is a key element to linking the Netherlands with Western Europe’s high-speed rail network. At slightly less than 100 kilometers, this section alone will cut more than one hour from the Amsterdam-Paris route, which will then take about three hours. And travel to London via the Channel Tunnel will also be much faster: The trip, which currently takes six hours and 16 minutes, will be reduced to three hours and 43 minutes.

Testing the overhead power line systems, the tracks and the GSM Rail communication system requires runs for collecting measurement data. These trips are conducted by an ES64U4 type multi-system locomotive from Siemens, which can run on several different power systems. The power for the high-speed rail stretch is at 25 kilovolts; but on other tracks in the Netherlands trains use 1.5 kilovolts. The locomotive is testing the transitions between the various supply voltages. Siemens technicians are also testing the ETCS, the electronic European Train Control System. ETCS Level 2 monitors a train’s speed and automatically brakes or accelerates it. The driving instructions are issued by the system in the operations control center, where the switch tower and the radio block center are also located. The instructions are transmitted to the train via the GSM-R on the route.

Beginning in February, the experts from Siemens Transportation Systems will also be conducting test runs with the Thalys high-speed train built by Alstom. The tests will be carried out to ensure that components from different manufacturers can function smoothly together. Siemens is supplying the entire power system and the overhead power lines for the new rail route, as well as the signal technology and communication systems, and all tunnel systems, including various safety systems such as lighting, fire alarms and elevators for escape routes. The contract is worth more than €500 million for Siemens.