4/2005
The New Pendolino
The new Pendolini currently being built for Trenitalia and Cisalpino represent a major development of the earlier versions, with significant advances in design, safety, and route availability.
On 22 June 2005, at the Guigiaro Design showroom, the president and managing director of FS, Elio Catania, the president of Italdesign-Giugiaro, Giorgetto Giugiaro, the managing director of ALSTOM Ferroviaria, Emilio Gallocchio, and the managing director of Trenitalia, Roberto Testore, unveiled a life-size model of an end car of the new Pendolino.
The new Pendolini form an important stage in the Trenitalia fleet modernisation programme. Compared with earlier versions, they feature radically streamlined front ends and deeper windows, offering passengers a better view of the landscape. The mock-up carries Trenitalia’a latest livery for high speed trains.
Photo: ALSTOM
Siemens High Speed Workshop
This workshop/seminar was held on 25 July 2005 at the Siemens factory in Krefeld, where one of the first VELARO E S 103 high speed trains for RENFE was on display.
The large assembly hall, with Velaro E end cars (from left to right) C1 and C8 for train 05, C1 for 06, and (out of sight) C8 for 06.
Photo: Siemens
Stadler's Second Rail Vehicle Conference
The first Stadler rail vehicle conference took place at Arbon, on the Swiss shore of the Bodensee, in November 2003 (see R 1/04, pp. 27 - 30). Such was the positive feedback from this that a second similar event was held on 8 July 2005, the venue this time being the nearby city of St. Gallen.
Following the presentation of papers and a tour of the exhibits at St. Gallen station, conference delegates were treated to a round trip on board 521 029 from St. Gallen to Rorschach. Here we see the FLIRT together with SOB’s 566 074 forming an S2 service to St. Gallen and Herisau, and THURBO’s 526 718 on a Regio service to Romanshorn and Winterthur, at Rorschach.
Photo: Jaromír Pernička
Czech Raildays 2005
Midsummer in the Czech Republic and Czech Raildays are fast becoming inseparable and synonymous. This year’s rail and urban transport technology trade fair, the sixth of its kind, was held as on previous occasions in the main railway station in Ostrava, between 14 and 16 June.
Our opening photo shows the pair of Siemens locomotives which starred at the show - EuroRunner ER 20-007 from the Dispolok fleet, and ÖBB’s Taurus 1216 002, which, being the ES64U4-C version, is equipped to operate also on the networks of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Both types have been given extensive coverage in Railvolution, the ES64U4 featuring in R 3/05, pp. 50 – 60.
As in 2004, a Pendolino was present - namely 680.003. Interference problems with these trains are now being resolved, and in mid-June 680.004 was fitted at Praha jih depot with a system of active filters developed by AŽD Praha. AŽD confirms that the work is running to schedule.
Photo: Tomáš Kuchta
Transport logistic
Transport logistic, the International Trade Fair for Logistics, Telematics and Transport, took place between 31 May and 3 June 2005 in München, the tenth occasion on which this city has been the venue. 1,333 companies from 51 countries participated. 536 of them (40 % of the total) were from abroad. The 40,000 trade visitors came from no fewer than 103 countries. The main topic of the event, as suggested by its title, is the world of freight transport and logistics, with a section devoted to the latest developments in rail technology in this field, as related in this photo-report, brought by Petr Kadeřávek.
As reported in advance in R 3/05 (p. 18), Vossloh Locomotives and Angel Trains Cargo took advantage of the fair to celebrate the reception by ATC of the hundredth Vossloh machine. This carried works number 1001456/2004, and was decorated with a wide range of national flags on its flanks.
Photo: Libor Geisler
Uncoring Praha's Bottleneck
Work is now in full swing to make congestion a thing of the past on the approaches to Praha hl. n. and Praha-Masarykovo from the Dûãín, Liberec and Brno directions, with two brand new double track lines being built from Praha hl. n. as far out as the junction at LibeÀ, and extensive track remodelling taking place near the latter location to increase capacity on the line serving Praha-Masarykovo.
Looking southwest towards Praha city centre (background) from a point between the lines from Praha hl. n. (left) and Masarykovo (right, with train), across the remains of Masarykovo depot. The Technical Museum buildings are visible behind the blue crane. In the foreground are the piers of the viaduct, which will finish roughly where the photographer is standing, at the western portals of the tunnel under Vitkov hill (14 February 2005).
Photo: Bohuslav Kotál
And much more!
Cover of 4/2005
Poster
Features: the very first complete 8-car trainset - 103 001 - at La Sagra depot, near Toledo, taken on 18 July 2005.