Mitsubishi to supply traction system for new NS sprinters

[bikkuri bahn]

Possibly of interest to our Netherlands-based forumers and others in that neck of the woods:

TOKYO, May 27, 2015- Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has announced today that it has been awarded a contract by Spanish train builder Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, S.A. (CAF) to supply high tech traction equipment for 118 New Generation Sprinter (SNG) EMUs for Dutch Railways (NS).

The project, in partnership with the Italian Branch of Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V., was considered to be one of the biggest train supply orders in Europe during 2014. Mitsubishi Electric secured the contract to supply traction equipment to CAF based on its proven technology, which has been successful both in worldwide markets as well as the Japanese domestic market. The new trains will replace Type SGMm 2 ─ and 3 ─ car "Sprinter" EMUs and the last remaining sets of Type Mat '64. Delivery and commercial operation of the trains is to start in 2018, with the delivery of the traction system expected to start from 2016.

 

http://www.4-traders.com/MITSUBISHI-ELECTRIC-CORPO-6491287/news/Mitsubishi-Electric--to-supply-Traction-System-for-NS-New-Generation-Sprinter-EMUs-20439438/

 

Mitsubishi press release (Japanese):

http://www.mitsubishielectric.co.jp/news/2015/pdf/0527.pdf

 

*didn't know about Mitsubishi's role in the modernization of the ICE-2 units:

http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/news/2014/0925-b.html

Edited May 27, 2015 by bikkuri bahn

[ToniBabelony]

Very nice! I hope they will implement the loud IGBT system the newest Kintetesu commuter trains also have :3

 

https://youtu.be/WOH0VUcUqfU?t=45s

 

Mitsubishi as a company as a whole is no stranger in the Netherlands, as they've had Nedcar produce the Mitsubishi Colt and Outlander cars, as well as have major trading departments based there.

[HantuBlauLOL]

I thought NS stands for Norfolk Southern..

[bikkuri bahn]

I thought NS stands for Norfolk Southern..

I think NS SD70ace use Mitsubishi IGBT inverters, fwiw :)

[ToniBabelony]

I thought NS stands for Norfolk Southern..

 

It's a good thing a massive ocean sets them apart and one of them runs freight only, as opposed to dense national passenger traffic ;)

[Densha]

The new trains will replace Type SGMm 2 ─ and 3 ─ car "Sprinter" EMUs and the last remaining sets of Type Mat '64.

Not exactly true. The Mat '64 trains are expected to be withdrawn somewhere around the end of 2015 or the beginning of 2016. They will be replaced by reactivated double decker coaches: http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubbeldeksmaterieel & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NS_DD-AR (wiki info is not updated). They will also be replaced by extra FLIRT EMUs the NS ordered: http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/traction-rolling-stock/single-view/view/ns-confirms-direct-order-for-58-stadler-emus.html (although NS keeps telling nonsense that it's not for the replacement of Mat '64 , it is)

 

The whole SGMm fleet will keep running at least until 2020 as the NS announced, but will probably eventually be replaced by the SNG from that year because the oldest SGMm cars will be already 45 years old at that time.

[Martijn Meerts]

Those older double deckers are actually quite nice, especially the refurbished ones. Lots of room in them. Still prefer the mat 64's though, but that's mainly because they were absolutely everywhere when I was growing up and took the train a lot ;)

[Densha]

I totally agree with you Martijn, Mat '64 was my childhood as well and DDZ are very comfy and spacious.

 

However, the 'reactivated' ones will not be refurbished ones. They are the double deckers that have been sitting on sidings without maintenance for a few years now and will only get the mandatory repairs, an extensive cleaning and the DDM-1 fleet will receive a new coat of paint as well. The DDAR fleet has actually already been reactivated. They are in maintenance at the Maastricht workshop so a lot of them can be seen at the sidings there. ;) I actually rode them a few times two months ago or so when there was a shortage of Mat '64 in Limburg. The DDM-1 fleet (the ones with red chairs) have not yet been reactivated, but they will start with that at the end of this year.

[Martijn Meerts]

There's a double decker between Roermond and Maastricht every once in a while, always nice taking that one rather than the intercity :)

 

I guess the refurbished ones are mainly used for longer stretches. There's quite a few of them at Venlo these days, going towards Rotterdam I believe. Usually during rush hours, otherwise it's the koploper (which is still a cool train as well, even if they disabled the sci-fi like (that's what it felt like when I was a kid anyway) connection between sets ;))

[Densha]

Yep those are the DDAR coaches! But even Mat '64 is better than the VIRM intercity double deckers IMHO.

I often use the the IC from Venlo to Rotterdam (and actually terminating at the Hague). It's a mix of DDZ and Koplopers yes. I heard that they are planning on using a few sets of two new Traxx locomotive and ICR coaches on Venlo-The Hague from December this year. (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hanswiskerke/16636406893/)

[ToniBabelony]

Two engines and 6 coaches? Overkill, safety measurements, or time saving at terminus stations? I bet the latter...

[Martijn Meerts]

If it was just for time saving, wouldn't it be more cost efficient to use a cab car though, there's plenty of those around. Unless the cab cars aren't compatible with the Traxx of course ;)

[Densha]

Unless the cab cars aren't compatible with the Traxx of course ;)

This.

 

They tried to rebuild the cab cars to be compatible with the Traxx locos to use on the HSL Zuid, but the project was halted for whatever reason (too expensive or it didn't work stable) so they decided to go with two locos at each end. It's a very expensive solution though, but if they want to save time this is the only way to do so now. The driver cab in the cab cars probably won't be used ever again now that the whole fleet of ICR coaches has been assigned to HSL and Benelux services with Traxx locomotives. Interesting is that the cab cars will be used as regular passenger coaches though: https://www.flickr.com/photos/railbus/17436072363/

 

They will only temporarily run on the regular The Hague-Venlo IC service until it is rerouted via the HSL between Rotterdam and Breda in December 2016. The future The Hague-Venlo IC service via HSL Zuid will use two Traxx locos and 9 ICR coaches inbetween them. The Amsterdam-Rotterdam 'IC Direct' service will use two locos and 6 coaches (as seen in the photo I linked to). The IC Direct Amsterdam-Breda now already runs with one Traxx and 6 coaches and will probably keep doing so (like this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/denniskoster/14941318697/). It is not known what formation exactly the Benelux (IC Amsterdam-Brussels) will use in the future, but now they run with very strange irregular formations like these: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cklx/17735163081/ & https://www.flickr.com/photos/100430980@N06/17649684015/

 

 

[Martijn Meerts]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cklx/17735163081/  ....

 

That's some pro color coordination going on there ;)

[Densha]

It can get worse: https://www.flickr.com/photos/99066558@N06/11249516414/

[bikkuri bahn]

Already a year old, but an artists impression of the units:

[Densha]

There's also photos of a mockup from last October: https://railmagazine.nl/nieuwe-sprinters/