AGV

[disturbman]

He ain't japanese but he looks beautifull nonetheless.  8)

 

Weirdly I was just able to find night shots of Alstom's beast.

[Bernard]

They are beautiful trains and look a lot like the TGVs. Where are they going to be running?

[disturbman]

Maybe a little bit, yes. The only obvious link between TGV and AGV is the shared bogies between the cars but I do think that the AGV is way bigger/larger than a TGV.

 

To answer your question, the AGV is going first ro run on italian rails for the new private railway company NTV. Of course Alstom is triyng to sell is new baby someplace else.

 

Anyway it's not clear wether the SNCF is going to buy some AGV set since the company has focused her buying policy on double-deckers HST.

[dmustu]

You will have to correct me if I am wrong, but I seem to remember reading somewhere that Air France had placed an order for some, to run on the french high speed network!

[disturbman]

I think I will have to correct you. There is rumours that Air France will maybe buy some AGV sets when he will try to enter the french/european HST market but, for the moment, nothing is done and the possibility seems even further away now than some months before.

 

In fact the last rumors were that AF/Veolia was holding the project at least until the economy recovers. The rumor about the AGV bid is just an idea, a dream fed by some nationalistic supporters. "What AF could buy/rent if not some french ingeniered train ?" ;)

[bikkuri bahn]

Some more pictures of the AGV, undergoing testing at the Velim, Czech Republic test track:

 

 

 

source for above three photos: http://js-trains.slovaktrains.sk/

 

 

A bonus three quarter view of a bogie and also the articulation layout:

source: http://www.transport.alstom.com

 

source: http://www.transport.alstom.com

 

I suppose this trainset as well as Siemens Velaro will be fighting it out with models from Hitachi and Kawasaki Heavy for orders in America and other emerging HSR markets.

[disturbman]

Some more pictures of the AGV, undergoing testing at the Velim, Czech Republic test track

 

Just to add, Pegase (the AGV's prototype) is not in Velim anymore. He is back in France and should start a new series of test.

 

I suppose this trainset as well as Siemens Velaro will be fighting it out with models from Hitachi and Kawasaki Heavy for orders in America and other emerging HSR markets.

 

Obviously, AGV was created by Alstom to concurence Siemens Velaro. I allways have the impression that there is no real or even possible competition between the Japanese and the Europeans. The US makert will surelly be the first enraged battle in this field. And, I don't know how the proposed HSL will developped themselves (sometimes the futur doesn't seems so sweet) in the US but it seems that everybody will be able to sell his HSToy, if GE doesn't try to supply it's on product. The demand is huge.

 

Anyway in France Alstom will have to wait untill it rolls out a double-decker version of the AGV to be able to sell this one to the SNCF. At the end It appears that the SNCF will not be buying anything else than TGV Duples Dasye for the next couple of years.

[to2leo]

Well for N. America, if GE doesn't do it Bombardier can.  After the lese than admirable start from Acela, I think Bombardier has since partnered with Alstrom and Siemens and China to create more reliable and cost efficient HSTs.

[disturbman]

Well for N. America, if GE doesn't do it Bombardier can.

 

I was not thinking North American but just American. I kind of have in mind that, maybe, will likely try to secure a part of the production and/or technology for GE in order to develop a home based solution.

 

After the lese than admirable start from Acela, I think Bombardier has since partnered with Alstrom and Siemens and China to create more reliable and cost efficient HSTs.

 

In fact the Acela is already a partnership between Alstom and Bombardier. After all the base of the set is a TGV and it will have been more reliable and efficient if the Acela was not a cheap HST. The performance of the train set are challeged by the US security rules and the fact the line was not reworked to all true HS.

[to2leo]

 

I was not thinking North American but just American. I kind of have in mind that, maybe, will likely try to secure a part of the production and/or technology for GE in order to develop a home based solution.

 

 

If you take a look at US, most of the transit suppliers are from Canada and beyond.  New Flyers, Orion, Novabus, EMD, Bombardier and Siemens for instance.  If GE wants to get back in, it will take time and resources.  Resources and time that many US industries are not yet willing to do.  But having that said, the current admininstration might begin to change their POVs.

[disturbman]

Hum, "POV"?

[Darren Jeffries]

Hum, "POV"?

 

Point of view.

 

 

The AGV is a sexy lookiing train. Anybody else think that this and the new Javelin are just made to look like shinkansen? I know the Javelin is made by hitachi but still....

[disturbman]

Hum, "POV"?

Point of view.

 

So obvious...

 

 

The AGV is a sexy lookiing train. Anybody else think that this and the new Javelin are just made to look like shinkansen? I know the Javelin is made by hitachi but still....

 

I don't. As a matter of fact I really don't think that the AGV looks aloke to any Shinkansen. If I was to compare it I will try with Siemens' Velaro. As a matter fo fact I don't think there is not much ways of designing a HS EMU and that Alstom tried to have one that look aggresive enough.

 

For me the Shinkansens are totaly buld with another image, idea in mind. For one thing, unlike the laters Shinkansens set and Spanish's HST, Alstom doesn't need to soften tunnel booms. For another thing the approach to the overture, the windows is totally different and I'm pretty sure the one to the comfort is also a different one.

[Guest ___]

My gf says ALL trains look the same. I can hold up a picture of an ES44DC and place it next to an E5 shinkansen and she'd say the only difference between them is the color. 

[Darren Jeffries]

My gf says ALL trains look the same. I can hold up a picture of an ES44DC and place it next to an E5 shinkansen and she'd say the only difference between them is the color. 

 

My wife just doesn't care... she thinks a train is a train. I feel your pain!!!!

[Guest ___]

You think that's bad, you don't want to know my cat's opinion on trains. (the big ones, not the toy ones that scare her in to hiding under the couch for three hours) 

[disturbman]

Some news from the Railway Gazette.

 

Testing tweaks AGV to Italian specifications -- 25 July 2009

 

Czech Republic: Following 7 500 km of trial runs at up to 360 km/h on LGV Est in France, Alstom's AGV demonstrator trainset has returned to the Velim test circuit east of Praha to be fine-tuned to the requirements of launch customer NTV.

 

As well as meeting Europe-wide Technical Specifications for Interoperability, the 25 production trains ordered by the future open-access operator will have to comply with Italian domestic standards. To speed the approvals process, a customised Italian version of the onboard software has been installed on the demonstrator trainset for testing, and the cabs are fitted with a second screen providing Italian specific SCMT data alongside the European standard ERTMS screen. Other national requirements include LED lighting at each end of the train.

 

Alstom built the demonstrator trainset as a mobile laboratory. It can be reconfigured to suit national and customer-chosen standards, which Alstom says will simplify and speed customisation of the AGV design to meet the specific needs of future clients. Two cars contain test equipment linked to 2 000 onboard sensors, powered by generators in a third car. The fourth car holds spares, while a fifth provides facilities for the engineers.

 

The current round of testing is focusing on wheel-rail dynamics, looking in particular at performance on curves and sub-optimal track. Roof-mounted cameras are being used to verify the performance of the pantograph design which was selected following previous tests. This latest stage in the approvals programme runs until September 15, with the train expected to cover around 10 000 km as it provides details of any refinements needed for Italy. In October it will go for final trials on the Roma - Firenze high speed line lasting until March 2010.

 

Alstom's La Rochelle plant has already begun assembling the first production AGV vehicles, with the deliveries to NTV to begin next year for commissioning in 2011.