2/2010

The demand for capacity is on the increase across all areas of transportation. Due to its flexibility as a mass transportation system and its environmental performance, rail transport in particular is gaining in significance. As a consequence, many countries are making major investments to meet future demand and for systems to become and remain competitive. Yet whilst this development appears very positive for the sector, it also poses significant problems, especially in densely populated European countries where new lines cannot easily be built and the capacity limitations of existing lines are already heavily exploited.

Bombardier recently developed a whole new family of double deck EMUs in response to requests by SNCF and the French Régions. Brand-named OMNEO by the manufacturer, and Regio2N by the Régions, they are designed for use on heavily patronised local and middle distance routes, and their design is the fruit of the extensive experience gained over the past few years in France with the AGC family of multiple units, and more recently with the Spacium EMU.

On 30 December 2008, following competitive tendering earlier in the year, Slovakian state operator ZSSK awarded ŠKODA VAGONKA a contract to build ten Class 671 three-car, double deck, dual-voltage EMUs for use primarily on interurban domestic services radiating from Žilina on the lines to Košice and Trnava.

In December 2007 SBB awarded Stadler a 40 million CHF contract for 21 two-axle, dual voltage shunters as replacements for the veteran Class Ee 3/3s, which were built between 70 and 40 years ago. The first Class Ee 922 was delivered from Stadler’s Winterthur works on 3 July 2009, and created history by being the very first electric locomotive ever to have been completely developed and built there. Intended mainly for the shunting and marshalling of passenger stock, the locomotives are to be allocated to seven main stations on the SBB network.

PKP’s Class ET22 Co’Co’ electrics, designed for freight duties, were built between 1969 and 1989 at the Pafawag works in Wrocław, an establishment which now belongs to Bombardier Transportation. Their type designation was 201E, and no fewer than 1,183 were outshopped. In December 2003 PKP Cargo awarded ZNLE Gliwice a contract to realise a prototype modernisation, the candidate selected for this being ET22-315, which at that time was based at Źurawica depot, near Przemyśl and the border with Ukraine.

In R 6/09, pp. 50 - 59 we published a major feature on the new two-section Class HXD1 heavy freight electrics operated by Chinese Railways. These are not the only Eurosprinter-derived machines active in China. On 18 August 2007 the Ministry of Railways awarded the Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Company a contract to build 500 Class HXD1B single-section Co’Co’s, which incorporate many HXD1 design features, and are rated at a 9,600 kW, or 1,600 kW per axle.