Réseau Ferré de France, Alstom and SNCF present
the train will take on the world speed record
Réseau Ferré de France, Alstom and SNCF present
the train will take on the world speed record
Press Contacts
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The attempt on the world rail speed record : a major
undertaking
The attempt on the rail speed record, organized by Réseau
Ferré de France,Alstom Transport and SNCF, forms part of the
French Excellence in Very High Speed Rail Transport program.
Beyond the technical achievement, the trials conducted at very
high speed serve as a real-life test of the performance and
reliability of the infrastructure and material.The attempt on the
record rounds off a program of trials designed to test, measure
and validate the aerodynamic behaviour and stability of the
trainset, its bogies, current collection capabilities, the
quality of wheel-rail contact, the behaviour of the new
AGV™ traction equipment and of the track, tunnels, bridges
and overhead line.
- Painstaking preparation
Since 15 January 2007, a team of over 40 RFF,
Alstom and SNCF engineers and technicians has been taking part in
tests conducted under real life conditions, as part of the VI50
program designed to demonstrate French excellence in very
high-speed rail travel. With such a project, nothing can be left
to chance: infrastructure, materials employed, interna1 and
external measurement tools and controls, in addition to exterior
conditions, have al1 been studied in minute detail and prepared
ahead of the record attempt, during which the aim is to reach a
speed of 540km/h, or 150 metres per second. Adaptations to the
infrastructure of the LGV™ ("Ligne à Grandevitesse")
high-speed line and to the material were necessary in order to
obtain exceptional quality, aerodynamics and power. These
included preventative grinding of the track, adjustments to the
overhead line voltage and measures to reduce rolling
resistance.
- The V I 50 trainset: concentrated power and
technology
Manufactured by Alstom, the VI 50 reached
the European East Technicenter - located in the Parisian suburb
of Pantin-Bobigny and charged with the trainsetf daily
maintenance - on 19 December 2006.
It is made up of two POS™ power cars (built by Alstom in
Belfort and adapted by the SNCF workshops in Bischheim) that will
ultimately operate on the East TGV line, threeTGVM Duplex
double-decker carriages and three AGV™ motorized bogies. In
total, the VI50 can develop an output of 19.6 megawatts (over
25,000 horsepower), against 9.3 megawatts (12,500 horsepower) for
a conventional TGV and almost twice as much power as is developed
by al1 the cars present on the grid at the start of a Formula I
Grand Prix race.
- Concentrated expertise
The development and construction of the VI 50 trainset are the
fruit of 14 months of work - involving 100,OO man hours of
development and preparation - by 100 engineers and technicians.
Over 200 hours of testing enabled 40 trial runs to be completed
over a 7-week period, at speeds exceeding 450kmlh and over a
distance of more than 3,200km. Over 600 measurement points were
analysed by the 40 technicians on board the laboratory car.
- Unique design for an exceptional event
Image bearer for French excellence in very high-speed rail
travel, the VI50 sports a livery to merit the occasion. lnspired
by the words of Roger Tallon, the famous French designer
responsible for the lines of the very first TGVs, the trainset is
wrapped in a "jet of chrome" against a black background,
evocative of the world of cutting-edge technology, high
performance and absolute speed.
Press contacts
Camille JORCIN
O1 49 09 27 05
camille.jorcin@ tbwa-corporate.com
Jennifer ATTIAS
O1 49 09 25 73
jennifer.attias@tbwa-corporate.com
Hélène SAINT RAYMOND
O1 49 09 85 77
helene.saint-raymond@tbwa-corporte.com
TGV™, Train à Grande Vitesse, is a trademark of
the SNCF
AGV™, Automotrice Grande Vitesse, is a trademark of Alstom
POS, Paris-Ostfrankreich-Süddeutschland