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Traxx locomotive near Svilengrad in Romania. Photo: Bombardier
Bombardier Freight Train on 4000 km Test Run
Published: Wed, 2014-12-10 08:00-
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No need for additional shunting locomotives.
First time a single traction locomotive TRAXX AC has pulled a Rail Cargo Group Freight Train more than 4000 km across the Southeast Europe and the Carpathian Mountains, wrote Bombardier newly in their press release.
Innovative electric locomotive with support diesel engine and battery reduced transport time and overcame electrical track malfunction
The test run saw a TRAXX AC Last Mile locomotive pull a RCG freight train from Sopron, on the Austrian-Hungarian border through Romania and Bulgaria to Istanbul, Turkey (Tekirdag) and back.
The trip followed a long distance intermodal route built by Rail Cargo Group to transport goods between the German Ruhr areas to the Black Sea in Turkey. Currently this route has four departures per week with seven per week beginning in January.
The journey was not only a first for both Bombardier Transportation and RCG, but also an unprecedented achievement for this particular train configuration. On the test run, the TRAXX locomotive demonstrated its strength when this single locomotive pulled the 534-meter long, 1200-ton freight train across Romania’s Carpathian Mountains. This rugged terrain typically requires the RCG train to have two locomotives.
Earlier in the test run, an electrical failure along a 20-kilometer section of track provided another challenge. Here, the TRAXX AC Last Mile locomotive demonstrated its performance by crossing this non-electrified stretch using its Last Mile feature – avoiding a five-hour delay. The innovative Last Mile feature, a combination of an auxiliary diesel engine and battery, enables the locomotive to operate at full power for up to eight hours.
The TRAXX’s ability to run on non-electrified route sections for extended periods eliminates the need for additional shunting locomotives in container terminals, harbours or side tracks to factories. Furthermore, while in Last Mile mode, the locomotive is still capable of pulling equally heavy loads just as when under catenary wire power.
The train’s return journey ended in Sopron, Hungary. Representatives of Rail Cargo Group and Bombardier Transportation greeted the locomotive newly in Wien- Westbahnhof.
Source: Bombardier (Press release)
Av Markku Björkman
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