JR East and HS2- additional consulting

[bikkuri bahn]

This news item I missed back in July, but it's interesting enough to post.  JR East was already pegged to provide consultant services for the HS2 project in Great Britain, but on July 22 the firm revealed they had already started another service in addition to the previous announced items.  This involved the use of their proprietary Hercules computer program to generate run curve diagrams.  These run curve diagrams will be used to figure minimum running times between two designated points (stations) on the HS2 route. Presumably then hypothetical operating diagrams (schedules) can be generated using the data. 

 

One definition of a run curve:

The minimum train running time is calculated by creating velocity curves indicating the train speed and time curves indicating the elapsed time based on vehicle performance and track conditions.

 

http://www.rtri.or.jp/eng/rd/seika/2003/02/lowcost_E08.html

 

Details of the HS2 project:

Top speed: 400km/h

Top revenue service speed: 360km/h

Train frequency- on completion of initial 1st segment (London-Birmingham): 14tph, on completion of second segment (Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds): 18tph

Train length: 400m

 

Details of the JR East project for HS2:

Duration of simulation: June 10~Nov. 7, 2015

Test section to be used: Initial 1st segment (London Euston to Birmingham as well as connections to existing lines from Birmingham to Manchester/Leeds)

Rolling stock to be used in simulation: JR East E5 and E6

                                                             Hypothetical HS2 trainset

Stopping patterns: express type and stopping services

Speed limits/standards to be utilized: JR East standard operating speed limits

                                                           HS2 designated operating speed limits

 

JR East press release:

https://www.jreast.co.jp/press/2015/20150719.pdf

 

Previous news from spring:

http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/high-speed/hs2-appoints-jr-east-as-a-consultant.html

[Welshbloke]

Now if only they could persuade HS2 to use some more imaginative train designs.

 

Seriously, I look at the proposals and weep, they're just so pedestrian compared to, say, a 500 Series or an E5!

[kvp]

Interesting. This allows trains schedules to be completly auto generated from capacity requirements. The graph on the linked page shows that platform approach is done at a constant (and limited) speed, while accelerating is continous. A more accurate auto stop system could allow a constant deceleration within the station too, but slowing down under a set threshold before entering the station certainly prevents overshots, especially if the trains are manually operated.

 

What is strange to me is that they are still using microblocks (and tracks circuits) instead of fully free communication based rolling blocks. This is a very safe, but really expensive solution. The third option would be communication based micro blocks with track based position sensors, like seltrac.