The Train Transport in Britain - Essay Example

HS2 Name: Unit: Course: Supervisor: Date of submission: Introduction The first high speed rail line for passengers’ dates back to 1964 in Japan. This line was dedicated to moving large number of passengers through the then congested transport network between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka. The technology of high speed trains using electric traction since then has been on increase with countries such as China, France and German using the high speed rail transport. Britain is investing in a very high speed rail to create space to the already overcrowded rail network (Department for Transport 2011, p. 2). The high speed two (HS2) will be a high capacity rail network that will be designed to the standard of European high speed and application of technology that has been used in France and German. The development of the HS2 network is expected to be carried in two phases, first is to be completed by 2026 while the second phase is to be completed in 2033.This paper discusses the significance of this great engineering project that is aimed at revolutionising the train transport in Britain. The railway transport has been experiencing increased demand as the preferred means of transport in UK. Over the past 15 years the United Kingdom (UK) has witnessed a double demand in the long distance travel over the rail. With a focus in increment of the Britain’s population by 10 million people in the next 25 years, the demand for rail travel is expected to rise (Department for Transportation 2011, p. 2). With such projections the government has devised a mega transport project to come up with an improved rail transport that will ensure that there is connection of major cities. This is through a high speed train that expected to have a speed of 330-400km/h which is almost double the current 200km/h. The HS2 will be electric powered which is better option putting in consideration the issue of global warming and a shift from the over dependence on the fossil fuels (HS2 2011, p.1). HS2 Network Transport through trains that are electric powered is not a new concept in developed countries, in Britain there is already a train network for electric powered trains that are commonly used. However, the HS2 trains have the unique feature of very high speed doubling the current trains. This means that the current train network does not have the technological capacity to accommodate the HS2 trains; therefore a HS2 will entail a high speed rail network that is to provide linkage in major towns in UK. With the HS2 train expected to run at an optimal speed of 400km/h, this will be effective rail transport for the easing many passengers movement and transportation of freight services in UK and strategically ensure that transport needs for the increasing population will not overburden the current transport network and hence ensure environmental sustainability (ATOC 2011, p.14). Furthermore, this is a great economic move as good transport infrastructure serves as a good gesture for ease in doing business. The HS2 is expected to provide linkage for eight of the Britain’s 10 largest cities. This means that there will be more passengers and freight services that will be in a position to use trains rather than roads. This translates to increased transport capacity and servers as economic engine that is geared at rebalancing the north economies and those of the south (Department for transport 2011, p.3). With the huge benefits that are to come with HS2 trains, all eyes are set on the start of the two phase project and completion of this great engineering project. Powering the HS2 Each great project comes with challenges that if not addressed the dreams may never be realised, the challenge for engineers in this project is the efficient powering of the trains to ensure that the optimal speed of 400km/h is achieved. The high speed trains are to be powered by electricity. Just like in other electrified railway networks in the world, this power has to be delivered at a relatively high speed depending on the optimal speed of the trains. The delivery of this electric power is conventionally done through a pantograph. The pantograph is a device that is strategically mounted on the top of train and it serves the purpose of collecting power for the train from the overhead cables on the rail network (HS2 2012, p. 18). Engineers tasked with designing the mechanism of powering the train will apply the same mechanism, the challenge and point of depart from the other high speed trains is the very high speed which translates to increased electric energy requirement which implies that the pantograph should be redesigned to ensure collection of the required voltage. In addition the energy supply of the energy will need to be increased. For instance, trains that are operating at a speed of 300km/h will consume almost twice the amount of power consumed by the conventional trains, i.e. the electric power to run the HS2 train at a speed of 300km/h will be 45kw/h compared to 23kw/h in the speed of 200km/h for the conventional trains (HS2 2012, p.13). This is very high electric consumption which means that the infrastructure to supply this electricity should be done in a manner that there will ensure no negative effects on the people living near the rail network and to the people using the HS2 (ATOC 2011, p.13). There have already been fears raised by many people in relation to the electric infrastructure for this project due to its likely effects on the lives of people and ecosystems along the proposed routes. In response, engineers are intending to employ methods that have already been found safe and those used in other electric trains of lower speeds. According to HS2 (2013, p.1) the site location for the equipment to be used for electrification are chosen with the engineers’ intention of minimising the likely visual impact. This will be done knowing that that the increased power needs will require feeder power stations to be used to make the HS2 train work. The power to be used for these trains will be from the national grid and or from the feeder stations. In such a situation, the national grid is to generate 400kv, in the case of the feeder stations; the sub stations to be used should generate 275kv. According to HS2 (2011, p.3)the feeder stations are to be situated along the HS2 line at intervals of 52km in order to avoid interruption of supply of the power. This should be coupled by autotransformer stations that will be required to strengthen the supply of the electricity to run the HS2 train, the transformer stations are supposed to be after every 10km. The stations in which the power is to be drawn from will be near the pylon route that will ensure that there are minimal power disruptions. Even though there is will be increased energy consumption of the electric energy by the HS2 trains, the trains are to have both economic benefits and at the same time it is a shift towards green technology which is sustainable, the HS2 trains are aimed at reducing usage of road transport which has been largely been blamed for the environmental pollution and its over reliance on fossil fuels which result to a lot of carbon emissions. According to HS2 Limited (2012, p. 5) a company which has been tasked with this great project agree that in the construction phase of the HS2 there will be an increase in the emissions of carbons, this is however to be offset by the shift from the usage of cars and planes to the use of the HS2 trains on completion of the project. With environmentalist against this project, engineers are geared at ensuring that the HS2 will be carbon neutral as the technology will rely on electric traction which is unlike the pure use of diesel engines. The carbon emissions and intensity in the HS2 will mainly result from generation of the electricity which Britain has been using for a long time. The average usage of 45kw/h from the national grid for the trains is an increase of 22kw/h from the current 23kw/h used by the conventional electric trains. The increase of 22kw/h from the national grid does not thus represent high increased energy intense consumption bearing in mind that is coming from the already established national; grid. The usage of power in HS2 will greatly be influenced by the resistance that the HS2 train has to overcome to acquire the high speed (HS2, 2013, p. 1). The resistance will mainly be from the air, the friction resistance, the rolling friction and the flange friction. These frictions are further depended on the embedded weight and specific speed of the train. To ensure efficiency, the engineers tasked with the powering the train will have to collaborate with the mechanical engineers to come up with designs of electric trains that will significantly reduce the different resistances. According to Department for Transport (2011, p.4) the design of the HS2 trains and the network will be key to ensuring that the intended speed and projected power consumption is achieved. For the high speed to be achieved and maintained, the rail lines for the trains should be designed in a manner that avoids curves. In cases where the curves on the lines are unavoidable, engineers will be required to incorporate larger turning circles for the direction change. These designs ensure that there are no variations in energy consumption that may be experienced in breaking and subsequent acceleration. Resistance during braking which increases the usage of electric energy in the HS2 trains can thus be reduced by design of the network which increases the braking distance which will ensure that the HS2 train slows down safely and with reduced friction. Furthermore, the HS2 trains are supposed to have higher seating capacities which are supposed to ensure that efficiency is realised and for the high speeds in these high capacity trains to be achieved, it technically implies that these trains are supposed to be more powerful than the current electric trains. Therefore, they must be designed to accelerate at a faster pace to an extent that they can reach 100km/h in a distance of approximately 500m. The HS2 train should also be in apposition to climb steeper gradients which will ensure that they hug the landscape in a manner that avoids high embankments and many viaducts and minimise the noise and environment pollution (Department for Transport 2011, p. 3). Conclusion The high speed two (HS2) trains are expected to revolutionalise the transport in Britain. The HS2 is expected to ensure efficiency in the movement of passengers and the freight services in Britain. To realise the efficiency, engineers are tasked with ensuring that this project becomes a success by designing the train and rail network that will ensure efficient power consumption. Britain is to employ the technology and European standards of high speed that have already been used in German and France. The HS2 rail network is expected to turn the Victorian Britain rail infrastructure to 21st century standards which will help in creating space from the already overcrowded lines and bring the whole country together by improving the inter city transport. References ATOC. 2011. The Carbon Impacts of HS2. London: Greengauge, pp.11-22. Department for Transport. 2011. High speed rail: Investing in Britain’s future consultation. Available at http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/dft-20110228 High Speed Two (HS2) Limited. 2011. Powering HS2.UK: Department for Transport. HS2 Ltd. 2012. HS2 Project Specifications. Pp. 1-20. High Speed Two (HS2) Limited. 2013. The HS2 rail corridor. UK: HS2 Ltd. Read More