The High-Speed Train - Essay Example

The High Speed Train Britain has been revolutionary in the remarkable introduction of inter schedules in late 1970's and 1980's. This has been Britain's most phenomenal transport revolution of 20th century. The trains which were marked as most striking and exciting aspect of Britain's transport revolution secured for Britain in 1970's and 1980's a position as one of the most exciting inter-city schedules anywhere in the world., as the trains ran at the phenomenal speed of 125/mph. This was rivalled only by Japan which had trains running at 200/mph. This was considered the optimum threshold for high speed operation. The High Speed Train (HST) has been the mainstay of long distance travel in the UK for over 30 years. When it was introduced it carried a number of features that were innovative to the UK rail network, and has been called the most successful train in the UK in the last 50 years. The HST is due to be replaced in a few years, and designers at all of the major rolling stock manufacturers are hard at work trying to come up with an equally successful replacement. The threshold has risen substantially, to the point where 250km/h is considered the minimum for rail to compete effectively with air. It's a threshold which Britain has conspicuously failed to achieve - except on the line linking London with the Channel Tunnel - despite three separate opportunities to get close. Yet things are beginning to change in Britain, with the introduction of a fleet of 225km/h (140mph) EMUs from Hitachi in the next couple of years, and the long-term Intercity Express Programme (IEP), which is expected to replace a number of long-distance fleets. (http://www.railway-technology.com/features/feature1217/). In light of the need of the time, steps have been taken to replace the obsolete technology of 1970's with the new IEP -Intercity Express program which has been designed and structured to replace the HST's which are becoming increasingly unreliable, in meeting with the expectations of the people in design and performance and speed. The analysis of the experts has been confirmed in which they agree that HST's need replacement by 2015. The comparative study of the "train systems in diverse countries like Japan, Spain, Germany, France and Taiwan have all found that introduction of high-speed rail cuts the number of air journeys on a given corridor and provides a massive boost to business and leisure travel." (http://www.railway-technology.com/features/feature1217/). The Department for Transport has proposed and initiated the adoption of the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) which has been recognized as one of Britain's most significant investment in rolling stock for over thirty years and most innovative design endeavour for public transportation. Intercity Express will determine the flagship of the next generation of intercity trains which will be stretched across with the network from 2014 and can sustain for another thirty years in technological and infrastructural competition across the globe. The department of Transport is prepared to address the pressing need for change with innovation and organized planning. The DfT is expecting to commission between 500 and 2000 new vehicles, with deployment subject to costs and value. The objectives of the Intercity Express programme are to: Optimise value for money, taking a long-term whole-system approach Improve passenger capacity and make best use of available route capacity Ensure flexibility of train deployment to cater for future change in use, demand, power and environmental requirements Deliver a consistent service in terms of the availability and reliability of new trains Provide for the safety and security of passengers and railway employees Deliver an environmentally sustainable solution in terms of improved energy efficiency and emissions, and more sustainable construction and maintenance compared to existing High Speed Trains meet customer requirements in terms of the facilities and environment provided for passengers. (http://www.railwaystrategies.co.uk/article-page.phpcontentid=1210&issueid=55) Intercity Express Programme (IEP) has been procured as the new replacement for HST's based on a very key consideration which has been highlighted by Express Rail Alliance. This key factor is the incorporation of significant engineering resource required to deliver large volumes of new trains within relatively short period of timescales. "Three unique train sets - diesel, electric and hybrid - are needed to fulfil the requirements of the IEP and no rail manufacturer currently has a suitable train design within an existing platform" http://www.unife.org/unifex.aspxNewsId=2746&CatId=7 The intent of IEP is that achievement of compatibility should extend to a fully optimised system based on a whole life, whole system cost basis; in particular the imposition of low physical impacts on the infrastructure and train and low energy requirements. It is anticipated that the IEP shall be authorised into service under the Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2006. IEP has been acknowledged and accepted as the best replacement which could meet the criterion of technical specification with optimal standard for the next thirty years of progressive and growing demand. The designers face a challenging task of emerging with design specifications which is in harmony with the business requirement and has clear focus on the rolling plan for the rail network. Rolling Stock Plan: The Government of Britain published and stated a Rolling Stock Plan which would b operative from January 2008, which would address the specifications of factors which would influence the delivery of increased capacity. The Rail Technical Strategy simultaneously published documents which clearly specified the details of the long term aspirations of the rail vehicles. IEP is one of the programmes which are intended to take forward the responsibility of the next generation of rolling stock. This is to be implemented by introduction of substantial number of new vehicles in the network of rail system. "The impact of the rolling stock would be that IEP is responsible to meet the aspirations of RTS for the next generation of vehicles for longer distance travels and inter urban routes." (http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/rollingstock/rollingstockplanpage=1#a1000) The IEP has proposed to introduce approximately 90 full length trains for 2013 to 2017. There are estimated addition of 50 more full length trains to be introduced between 2014 and 2018. The IEP programme is led by DfT as well as other stakeholders from various segments of industry involved like TOC's and Network Rail so that they can aim to deliver lowest whole life and whole cost system. The winning bidder is responsible for design, manufacturing, financing, long term maintenance and operational reliability and availability. (http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/rollingstock/rollingstockplanpage=1#a1000) Designer's Challenge: The feasibility of design is one of the most challenging consideration for this rolling stock along with the technical, business and other gain factors for the users or travellers. Requirements are expressed in outputs terms, necessary for the success of the IEP. The IEP trains are designed to comply with the requirements of all applicable British and European Standards, and all European and UK legislation during the design, construction, delivery, testing and commissioning, maintenance and operation of the vehicles. It is an essential requirement that the IEP trains are technically compatible with the infrastructure over which they are planned to operate without any limitation. The information on the infrastructure at the time of service introduction is provided within the Train Infrastructure Interface Specification (TIIS). The objective of bringing the designers concept to reality would require consideration and implementation of various factors. One of the biggest challenges for the designers would be to provide additional capacity for new and improved services. This will require better performance than the existing system and more efficient plans for maintaining and renewing the existing railway. They need to design a system which would outperform the overall regulatory targets for the targeted control period. It becomes imperative for the designers to deliver outputs within the timeframe and within the funding limitations provided by the DfT. The objective is to devise the most effective and affordable way to deliver the specific requirements of rail users and funders. The plan needs to be projected and developed so that it meets the operation and implementation criterion within budget and timeframe. Another challenge faced by the designers is the strategy to address the fundamental changes, with regard to considerable investment in the systems and training. They need to develop a closer collaboration between the IEP objectives and rain operators whose combined focus should be meeting the strategic objectives. The core objective is to build a rail system which is safest and most sustainable means of transport for people for a long time. There is also great need to focus on the long term condition of the infrastructure with mission to optimise the railway system. To achieve this optimum performance IEP needs to take into account the interaction of the infrastructure with rolling stock and operations. Designers also need to address the business aspect of the IEP programme with consideration for stakeholders and funders. The targets within the timeline should reveal good rate of improvement and reliability on the management. The optimum use of resources should be aimed to produce improved and efficient service with marked profitability. The efficiencies should be able to cover the savings on the unit cost of the ongoing work. The unit cost and performance at the end of the control period should be favourable. It is very important to set an achievable target with reasonable chance of meeting or even outperforming this target. Assessing the significance of the targets is critical, as targets which are unrealistic to accomplish are demotivating and would risk undermining the progress which has already been achieved. A balance of budget and tasks which meet the targets presented by the stakeholders should be used as guideline for the business aspect of the design implementation. The designers should also take into consideration the maintenance and the renewal expenditure with regard to IEP programme. The focus should be on the areas like cycles of renewal needed (like signals etc.), additional traffic and reduced engineering access time. There should be effective system developed to safeguard against drainage and weather. The consideration of recurring expenditure will impact the smooth implementation of the programme. The consideration for these efficiency improvements which determines what needs to be spent on different sections of the programme are necessary to operate, maintain and renew an understanding of the volume and type of work to do. This would impact the efficiency and the financial performance of the IEP system. The most significant focus area would be complete design layout which transforms the old system to outstanding service, in design layout for the new system. Safety and comfort are two very core criterions for design success. These largely depend on proper design, construction, maintenance and operation of the network. The can be achieved through more effective and efficient development and management of the network. This would ensure comfortable service and reduction in train accident risk. This can be achieved by strategic planning and consideration of the comfort related inside layout and improved infrastructure strategies for safety. The IEP programme is the new challenge for the designers, as it aims to replace a system which meets international standard but has to improve a very successful HST system which has acclaimed reputation for service and safety over the years. The objective is to introduce a design which is of high international standard, efficient and environment friendly. It has been required that IEP delivers a service which is energy efficient with improved aerodynamic performance. The train is light weight to maintain speed and performs with reduced emissions and improved performance, which would guarantee savings. The design layout is specified to make consideration for human factors which incorporated ergonomics and safety factors. The trains are equipped with efficient Train Management System for better service and enhanced security. The interiors are also of significant importance with comfortable seating and good provision of toilets and refreshments. (http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/iep/iepinvitationtotender/ieptraintechnicalspecifi.pdf) The IEP will develop a new fleet to replace the current High Speed Train.. The new fleet will improve capacity and reliability and meet increasing passenger requirements. It will also deliver improved energy efficiency, reduce emissions and ensure flexibility of train deployment so that future demand and environmental requirements will be met. The key benefits of IEP are optimization of costs, standardization of design, high level of seating capacity, reduced energy consumption, flexibility in terms of train formation and improvement in train performance. IEP's are functional in design specification and technological specifications to meet the new age requirement of faster and more efficient trains guaranteeing safety, security and efficiency. This proposal for implementation of IEP ensures that British system of rails will compete with world in the new century and pave way for future. Work cited http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/iep/iepinvitationtotender/ieptraintechnicalspecifi.pdf http://www.unife.org/unifex.aspxNewsId=2746&CatId=7 http://www.railway-technology.com/features/feature1217/ http://www.railwaystrategies.co.uk/article-page.phpcontentid=1210&issueid=55 http://www.unife.org/unifex.aspxNewsId=2746&CatId=7 http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/iep/iepinvitationtotender/infrastructureinterface.pdf (Article) http://www.dft.gov.uk/resultsview=Filter&h=m&t=Intercity%20express%20programme&ts=0&m=4552&pg=1 Read More