Jon Worth6d ago

Having discovered SNCF's newest Alstom built Avelia Horizon TGV-M trains do not fit Italian tunnels, I set about working out how everything got into such a tangle

Turns out the 1973 oil crisis and a 2009 decision of the UK government are central to it, and you can even go back to 1871 in Japan to explain part of it as well

Take a trip into the history of French high speed rail 👇
https://jonworth.eu/rail-path-dependency-how-the-oil-crisis-and-the-british-government-left-sncf-with-a-problem-in-italian-tunnels/

Rail path dependency: how the oil crisis and the British government left SNCF with a problem in Italian tunnels

When writing my previous post about the loading gauge of SNCF's Alstom built TGV-M Avelia Horizon train being too large for Italian tunnels, I had this nag in the back of my mind: how did they get themselves into this tangle? And it is not the first time I have

Jon Worth
Show threadMoritz6d ago
@jon just looked the only single deck trains Alstom recently sold is the avelia liberty. Does SNCF still do intercity trains? 15 yrs ago they existed ( strasbourg southwards towards belfort at least). What about a 280km/h pendolino for intercity services? All the Duplex TGVs likely mean there is quite a gap for this. I know current SNCF wont do it. But there sure is untapped demand. You can even send those trains abroad w/o headaches
Show threadJon Worth
@vermeer Stream. It's mentioned. 300km/h post Pendolino
Mar 18 at 8:30pmWeb
Show threadAnders Norén6d ago
@jon
Speaking of which: I find only one example of a tilting train with a top speed of 250 km/h, although they would make sense at least in Sweden, which is the Cisalpino Due. But Wikipedia mentions that they were too heavy when fitted for 15 kV/16 â…” Hz and have to go with reduced speed in Switzerland. Are tilting trains capable of speeds >200 km/h too heavy with 15 kV transformers? 25 kV/50 Hz equipment is lighter.
@vermeer
Show threadJon Worth6d ago
@violanders @vermeer no. Swiss ETR610 is 250km/h and tilts and has 15kV
Show threadAnders Norén5d ago
@jon
That's the one. Has it been allowed to go full speed in Switzerland now?
@vermeer