Posted by : nita on Sunday, May 27, 2007 - 08:59 AM EST
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20.05.07 | Siemens is supplying Oslo’s subway system with environmentally friendly trains that consume 30 percent less energy than those currently in operation in the Norwegian capital. What’s more, about 95 percent of the materials used in the trains can be recycled after their service life, an estimated 30 to 35 years, comes to an end. As the research magazine "Pictures of the Future" reports in its latest issue, the Siemens engineers who developed the trains received the company’s Environmental Award. The Oslo subway project is part of Siemens’ ongoing effort to reduce energy consumption in the transport sector in order to lower carbon dioxide emissions. Delivery of the 63 trains, which comprise a total of 189 cars, is already under way, with about two new trains arriving in Oslo monthly. The rail vehicles’ impressive energy savings is achieved by having the electric drive systems switch to a generator mode during braking, with the electricity thus created then channeled back into the grid.
The rail car bodies are also made entirely of aluminum, which is a lightweight material — and the lighter a train is, the less energy it takes to accelerate it. AS Oslo Sporveier, which operates the subway system, will end up saving 33 percent in operating costs with the new trains. Due to the extremely cold winters in Oslo, Siemens engineers also designed the trains to withstand operating temperatures as low as minus 25 degrees Celsius.
Engineers at Siemens Transportation Systems focused on environmental aspects when selecting all the materials used for the trains. Their efforts included avoiding the use of pollutant materials and reducing the weight of components as much as possible. The trains’ modular design also means that parts can be replaced and repaired easily, which also lowers maintenance costs. The disposal concept for the subway trains provides for 85 percent of the materials to be physically re-used, and a further ten percent to be thermally recycled. At today’s prices, selling the material of one train would earn around €60,000.
The trains are 54.34 meters long, and passengers can move unobstructed through their entire length. They have a top speed of 70 kilometers per hour and weigh approximately 94 tons when empty. The new trains will initially be used on Metro lines 4 and 6, and deliveries are scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2009. Siemens is building the trains at its plant in Vienna. The rail car exteriors were designed by Porsche Design Studio in Zell am See, Austria.
