Posted by Calixte Pictet | 0 comments
AGV: Not just any high-speed train
The Automotrice à Grande Vitesse (AGV) will be the successor of the famous TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse), France’s successful high-speed train built by Alstom. Scheduled to be deployed in Italy in a few years by Europe’s first private high-speed train operator, Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori, it represents a new step for railway transport.
Alstom, the firm behind the AVG, is a railway transportation manufacturer as well as an energy provider. Its transport division occupies first place among high-speed and very high-speed train manufacturers: 70% of the of the high speed trains (300kmh | 186 mph) in worldwide service were built by Alstom.
The TGV was one of Alstom’s greatest successes. Beyond France, where it was first commercialized, the high-speed train was sold in diverse countries such as Spain (where it is called AVE, Alta Velocidad Española), Korea (the KTX or Korea Train eXpress), and will also enter the Argentinian market in the near future. TGV technology was also exported in the United states where Bombardier built the Acela Express. In France, the TGV operates at top speeds of 320 km/h (200 mph) on a daily basis. But the TGV has been operating for almost 30 years. It was developped in the 70′s and uses technology from that time. Very little has changed between the first TGV that had its maiden voyage in 1981 and today’s trains. Though it is a proven design, its manufacturer wants to take high-speed railway transportation to a new level. That’s what the AVG is all about.
AGV stands for Automotrice a Grande Vitesse, or “high-speed self-propelled carriage” in English. The missing “train” in the name is not an error, as the AVG runs on an entirely new concept. Instead of being the classical train composed of a set of carriages pulled and pushed by locomotives, the AVG’s configuration will be quite different: each car will have its own “boogie”. Each of these will have its own motor so as to spread the energy required to move the train along its whole length. According to Alstom, this distributed power design will give the AVG enough power to travel regularly at top speeds of 360 km/h (225 mph). It will also decrease overall maintenance costs by 30% and increase overall capacity by 20%, as compared to the TGV. The configuration is also set to eliminate much of the vibration and rolling noise on board, to cushion movement between cars, optimize aerodynamic performance and to guarantee higher security standards for passengers. The AVG is also more performant energywise:
“The combination of articulated architecture, composite materials, and improved traction systems have made it possible to reduce the mass of the AGV by 70 tonnes compared to competitors’ trains. The AGV is therefore particularly efficient from an environmental point of view, consuming 15% less energy.”
However, the new design is more than just that. It gives more freedom to the operator:
“Distributed power also offers the advantage of modularity in relation to car numbers. Based on an AGV range comprising between 7 and 14 cars, each operator can build up a fleet to match their capacity requirements.”
Here is a video featuring a 3D model of the future AGV:
The AVG is set to redefine how passenger transportation is designed. It is a combination of new technologies on which the customer can rely. Here is a list of the AVG’s specifications:
- Modular design: 7 to 14 cars (130 to 250 m)
- Seats: 250 to 650
- Mass: 270 to 510 tonnes
- Power: 6,000 to 12,000 kW (22 kW/t)
- Traction equipment : Quadri-voltage 25 kV 50 Hz / 15 kV 16.7 Hz / 3 kVdc / 1.5 kVdc, water-cooled IGBT traction converters, permanent magnet motors
You can learn more about Alstom, the TGV and the AGV on their website
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