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ICE test train reaches speeds of up to 405.0 km/h
- falcor84 1y ago[flagged]
- kristopolous 1y agoif the US got a network of 250mph trains out of this, almost worth it.
- Calwestjobs 1y agowell, US has history of immigrants building traintracks... ( could not resist sorry. russia, china are orders of magnitude worse. )
- userbinator 1y agoFor faster deportations?
- kristopolous 1y agoIf taking a shinkansen-style train from SF to LA requires me to drive to San Quentin, I'm game.
- WorkerBee28474 1y ago'ICE' here means Intercity Express [0] and not internal combustion engine. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercity_Express https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercity_Express
- KronisLV 1y agoRecently took some of these in Germany, was a pretty pleasant experience! It was a bit odd how the ticket prices seem to fluctuate a lot over there based on timing (like 20 EUR if you buy half a week ahead of time, closer to 40 EUR nearer to travel date, at least in my case) but I much preferred taking the train over flying.
- hummuscience 1y agoFor every train, there is a fixed number of tickets per price category. So sometimes, you can still find cheap tickets ("super sparpreis") a day before because thag specific train didn't have many bookings:)
- namibj 1y agoLike a train ticket that spans the year break (depart December 31, arrive January 1).
- dheera 1y agoAw hell they picked up on that stupid American capitalist crap? I worked in Germany in 2005 and back then everything was fixed price per kilometer for each train class, and you could get rail passes of sorts and get on whatever the hell trains you want during their validity. I'd take train roundtrips after work just to watch sunsets.
- krior 1y ago> Aw hell they picked up on that stupid American capitalist crap? Surge pricing is not an uniquely american concept.
- red_trumpet 1y agoThe price concept discussed above applies to long-distance trains. Local trains are still different, especially if you have the "Deutschlandticket" (germany ticket) you can just hop on any local train you like.
- jksflkjl3jk3 1y ago
- hedora 1y agoAnd also not the organization currently force-relocating innocent civilians to detention camps. I wonder if the Germans will end up having to rename the train system at some point.
- krior 1y ago> I wonder if the Germans will end up having to rename the train system at some point. You are vastly overestimating the relevance of this issue for the German public discourse.
- chgs 1y agoOf what issue - the reliability of trains? It’s pretty high, db is a laughing stock. A high speed pr stunt isn’t much interest sure.
- adwn 1y agoIt might be almost inconceivable for many Americans, but the daily lives of people in other countries doesn't revolve exclusively around America's internal politics…
- pfannkuchen 1y agoYou know, now that I think about it there is a conspicuous absence of organizations with the initialism SS despite the letters being so common. Maybe they will!
- burnt-resistor 1y agoNowadays, it also means balaclavaed, secretive, lawless, paramilitary disappearance "police".
- pfannkuchen 1y agoHey, if that’s what it takes to get the Americans to build high speed rail.
- burnt-resistor 1y agoMorally-repugnant statement.
- KingOfCoders 1y agoAmdahl's law in effect - which is the reason trains in Germany top out at 300 and most at 250.
- simonebrunozzi 1y agoRe-read it, as I didn't recall it properly: [0] "the overall performance improvement gained by optimizing a single part of a system is limited by the fraction of time that the improved part is actually used" [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amdahl%27s_law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amdahl%27s_law
- KingOfCoders 1y agoThanks for the quote, Germany has (too) many stops on the ICE lines (often for political reasons) and those are the limiting factor, not the top speed. The best train in Germany is Berlin->Frankfurt, not because of the speed, but the "Sprinter" version does not stop.
- shiroiuma 1y agoThere's another factor in HSR speeds: track degradation and maintenance. If you run the trains faster, they cause more wear to the tracks and require more frequent maintenance, and also tolerances on the tracks need to be kept tighter. Germany already seems to have trouble doing maintenance on time, so running trains faster would make this worse.
- KingOfCoders 1y agoYes, the German rail services prefer to build huge new trains stations instead of better tracks. We're waiting for 120->160kmh for years now, always promised, always moved to the future. And probably the tear is bigger on curvy lines which most lines in Germany are, compared to e.g. China.
- fjfaase 1y agoI fear that the general public in Germany will not be praising this achievement. The once efficient and punctional trains in Germany have deteriorated severely in the past years due to lots of delayed maintenance causing lots of delays and even regular cancelations of trains. Also the road infrastructure is suffering from delayed maintenance.
- attendant3446 1y agoThat's exactly it, it's not the new top speed they need, they lack efficiency. And it's not just Deutschebahn. For example BVG, who runs busses and U-bahn in Berlin is even less reliable.
- simianwords 1y agoI think higher speeds can help efficiency. For example it can help catch up a train that has been delayed.
- pixelfarmer 1y agoIt can, but it requires the track to be free in front of it and being allowed to go at the required speed to catch up.
- simianwords 1y agoYes but it’s a strictly better situation to be in although your point is valid.
- eptcyka 1y agoDo you imply that trains would normally run slower than what they can safely achieve?
- simianwords 1y ago
- brian-armstrong 1y agoHehe, Testfahrten
- sMarsIntruder 1y agoThe preliminary AV tests in Italy in early 00s were above 500km/h, so I’m not sure what to think.
- tootyskooty 1y agoThe ICEs are already plenty fast, the issue is they share rail with the much slower and less reliable RBs. Any delay cascades and you can't just make ICEs go faster to catch up. On a €/(avg. ICE speed) basis likely makes more sense to invest directly in RB.
- westpfelia 1y agoYea. Who cares if you can hit 405 km/h if you are just going to get stuck behind a train carrying goods for 2 hours unable to move.
- detaro 1y agoWhile DB is obviously involved, this test train included cars from a new design that Siemens primarily is aiming at the export market (E.g. US Brightline West, various projects in Asia, ...).
- snambi 1y agoWhat is special about this train? There are trains that already surpass this speed.
- pjmlp 1y agoI guess something positive to talk about, instead of the usual delays and infrastructure problems.
- chmod775 1y agoThis article communicates what this is about very poorly, so I'm not surprised a lot of people are asking "what is so special about this train?". The answer is: Nothing. Many ICE trains have the capability to go that fast* - and some already surpassed these speeds on test tracks decades ago. It's really nothing special to make a train go these speeds. What this test was supposed to show is that the real track (not a test track) between Erfurt and Leipzig/Halle can now support trains going that fast. Having compatible tracks is the real challenge (and cost sink) for high speed transport, not the trains themselves. Creating high speed track that is safe and usable in year-round conditions while being affordable to build and maintain is surprisingly hard. * ICE-3s reached up to 368 km/h in tests, though ICE-4s are designed for more economical speeds in the 200-300 range and currently limited to 265km/h in software for safe operation.
- Wurdan 1y agoIsn't it also true that that area around Leipzig has been a thorn in the side of DB since the fall of the wall? I think I remember reading somewhere that the infrastructure in that area isn't ideal for high volume and speed of trains (due to stretches that only have a single track and a lack of guarded/signaled level crossings IIRC)
- LargoLasskhyfv 1y agoPossibly. But this is about the https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schnellfahrstrecke_Eltersdorf%E2%80%93Leipzig https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schnellfahrstrecke_Eltersdorf%... / https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erfurt%E2%80%93Leipzig/Halle_high-speed_railway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erfurt%E2%80%93Leipzig/Halle_h... built rather recently, opened in 2017 or so. Have a look at the pictures, some interesting stuff there, like switches able to be driven over at 200kph, or just the scale of the elevated tracks in the general landscape. Also interesting is, at least parts of the so called 'Feste Fahrbahn'(ballastless tracks) are of 'System Bögl', the same company that has joint ventures in China, to test and build Maglevs there. Though rather slow, more light light rail with no more than 160kph, but with an option for freight. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_System_Bögl https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_System_Bögl Pures Betongold! ...err... golden concrete...
- doener 1y agoThis is the main point of the news: "The Erfurt-Leipzig/Halle route was used for the record-breaking journey without any modifications. According to Nagl, this shows that infrastructure investments create a solid foundation that lasts for generations. The insights gained will help with future renovations and the development of new high-speed trains. The ICE test train used was a Velaro Novo test car from Siemens Mobility. Thomas Graetz, Vice President High Speed and Intercity Trains at Siemens, explained that the test runs provided important insights into acoustics, aerodynamics, and handling. The Velaro Novo is set to establish new standards for capacity, economy, and efficiency. Dr. Hiie-Mai Unger from DB Systemtechnik led the measurements with the special ICE-S test train. This train is equipped with extensive measurement technology and collected data on the interaction between train and track." https://www.golem.de/news/deutsche-bahn-ice-testzug-erreicht-rekordgeschwindigkeit-2506-197563.html https://www.golem.de/news/deutsche-bahn-ice-testzug-erreicht... Translation via DeepL
- usrusr 1y agoThis part is still misleading: "The ICE test train used was a Velaro Novo test car from Siemens Mobility" The test train used is a set from the late 20th century. So old that its regular brethren are already scheduled for retirement. This is the last generation of ICE that was still using separate locomotives (and with that, limited traction) instead of powered wheelsets distributed all over the full length of the train. The only thing Velaro Novo in this demonstration is that they inserted an unpowered prototype car into the trainset.
- ho_schi 1y agohttps://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICE_S https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICE_S The theoretical assumed Vmax of this old train should be 440 km/h. The fasted actual speed was 406,9 km/h back in 1988. The test itself was focused on the Velaro Novo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siemens_Velaro#/media/File:Wagen_Velaro_Novo.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siemens_Velaro#/media/File:Wag... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siemens_Velaro https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siemens_Velaro Design targets from German Wiki: * 15 percent less mass * Up to 30 percent less energy required (I guess that is on focus of this test) * Target speed 250 between 360 km/h * 30% less maintenance costs * 10% more seats I like the concept of the Valero (ICE3) the design with the engines below the floor of passenger cabins is elegant. The press text is unfocused and seems "Marketing". The DB probably cares more about the fact, that the ten year old track is maintained in good condition. The biggest problem of DB is bad maintenance of tracks and trains. Caused due to the attempt to make it a profitable stock company and weird split-up of tasks between sub-corps and the state as fallback. It should have been remained a one public state railroad not focused on earnings. Sins of deregulation and privatization of the 90ies. PS: Interestingly Deutsche Lufthansa is known for the well in-house maintenance branch. That's why they're happy with the B747-8. Not so big as the A380-800. The maintenance of four engines doesn't require them much effort. Here everything is in one major corporation and the need for good maintenance quality is intrinsic.
- WastedCucumber 1y agoIt was probably still a half hour late for departure.
- Kunsang 1y agoThat is impressive for a train that runs on Windows 3.11, or did they already upgrade a away qqqqqq1qao Windows 95?
- floydian10 1y agoWould be great if they were on time and closures of important routes didn't took 9 months
- zerof1l 1y agoI don't think Germans want faster trains, they want punctual ones. How about trying to set a record for trains being punctual?