Will climate change make it necessary to adapt trains to the high temperatures predicted in European latitudes? The heat wave episodes that hit France this summer highlight the importance of reliable air conditioning on TGV and TER trains for passenger comfort. Conservation efforts must avoid paralysis, at least in the short term, according to the profession. “It’s off topic.“Said Laurent Boyer, president of Siemens Mobility France. According to him, the trains are already designed to withstand temperature fluctuations.
According to Xavier Ouin, director of facilities at SNCF Voyageurs, companies are just starting to take an interest in the matter. “One of the subjects on which we have made progress is the operation of the air conditioner. We carry out preventive maintenance programs in the spring“He explains.clean pipes better, repair compressors better, change filters… In short, avoid all causes of breakdowns“Primarily in 20- or 30-year-old trains with air conditioning”wasn’t necessarily crazy“.
“Fewer Outages This Year”
And it works, he says. “We had a lower breakdown rate this year than last year when it was much warmer. But we must be able to do better.This did not prevent some trains from breaking down in the middle of the track again this summer without electricity… Another idea according to Xavier Ouin: paint the trains white. “When it’s white, it absorbs less heat than when it’s dark, and it’s easier to refrigerate.“, he explains.
On the other hand, the materials recently ordered are not particularly “tropical,” as we say in railroad jargon, that is, modified to withstand extreme temperatures. Therefore, they will have to endure until the 2070s…”.We sold trains Norwayand in Saudi Arabia. We know how to do it. But we deliver what customers demand from us“, says Javier Martínez Ojinaga, general manager of the Spanish CAF manufacturer, at the major rail exhibition InnoTrans in Berlin.
Morocco’s TGV, built by Alstom, for example, has an air conditioner adapted to an outside temperature of 50°C and an air filtration system that protects the equipment from dust. Of course, it’s more expensive.
Slow down the trains
“We haven’t sized the trains just for the current temperature, there’s always margin“Says Alstom rolling stock manager Bruno Marge. “If these trains are well maintained, their current dimensions will allow them to cope without worry.External rail equipment must withstand temperatures of 55°C, electronic cards and other internal equipment 70°C, according to equipment manufacturer Thales. And there are no plans to change these standards at the moment.
First of all, it is the network that probably suffers, show all the experts met in Berlin. “Currently, there is no specific approach to network adaptation”, notes Olivier Bansel, director of operations for SNCF Réseau in France. And the older the infrastructure, the more fragile it is. In particular, the old channels in southwestern France do not appreciate the heat wave, which forces the SNCF to regularly slow down the trains. For example, when it is 37 degrees, the rail temperature can exceed 55 degrees. The railway is expanding and may cause accidents.
Paint the rails white
Opinions are divided, in any case, about the relevance of painting the rails white. A study by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich found that when painted in light colors, they are up to 7°C cooler. “We don’t believe it”, counters Oliver Bansel at SNCF Réseau.
You have to adapt and learn to better predict the expansion of the rails and their “bending” (their deformation), judge Stéphane Ferrai-Beaumont, head of innovation at Alstom. Especially since modern railroads have been welding rails for a long time because traditional expansion joints, the space between the rails, have been removed for greater comfort.
Good design and constant track monitoring can withstand the heat, says Jafar Oklah, director of infrastructure at Etihad Rail, which is building a network in the Emirates. “Above 75°C, trains must be slowed down“, he warns sarcastically. “But it never happened.»
Source: Le Figaro
