MOROCCO IS ACCELERATING! feature - Alstom
MOROCCO IS ACCELERATING! feature - Alstom
MOROCCO IS ACCELERATING! feature - Alstom
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40<br />
technology<br />
Design: two approaches for a concept<br />
Although they share a common concept, the designs of regional trains and of high-speed trains each<br />
present their own characteristics.<br />
The key word for Coradia is transparency. The interior is divided up to favour total fl uidity and thereby<br />
reinforces the feeling of safety on board. Passengers should be able to move from one end to the other<br />
of the trainset without encountering an obstacle. Open staircases, wide glassed areas, ‘sky domes’:<br />
the <strong>Alstom</strong> Transport Design&Styling studio’s research is constantly focused on obtaining more light.<br />
A bias that also concerns the train’s exterior appearance: the train must be ‘friendly’, welcoming and able<br />
to allow maximum circulation of light. The Duplex has a different design approach. Although, of course,<br />
everything has been conceived to optimise passenger movement, a degree of privacy is also sought,<br />
particularly in the lower compartments. The interior design employs warm materials, creating a ‘cocoon’<br />
effect that lends an impression of calm and comfort. This concern for conviviality is also to be found<br />
in the design of the train’s structure: although the nose expresses speed, its lines are more fl exible and<br />
softer than those of a conventional high-speed train.<br />
�<br />
recent member of the range. It is called<br />
the TER2N New Generation or the Coradia<br />
Duplex. The French Regions bought<br />
140 trainsets, put into service between 2003<br />
and 2010. Its distributed power provides 20%<br />
additional passenger space, reduces<br />
the risk of breakdowns and makes it possible<br />
to modulate the composition of trainsets<br />
from 2 to 5 cars. Access systems,<br />
equipment for people with reduced mobility,<br />
dedicated areas, bicycle racks to favour urban<br />
intermodality… It integrates the new needs<br />
of the modern traveller. The range is extending<br />
and being exported: 113 examples of<br />
a ‘winterised’ version were sold to Sweden<br />
and a further 26 trainsets were delivered<br />
to the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg.<br />
The concept even crossed the world,<br />
with Australia placing an order in 1999.<br />
Nevertheless, the export market turned out<br />
to be more complex than initially predicted:<br />
gauges vary in height (from 4.34 to 5 metres)<br />
and in width (from 2.8 to 3.1 metres);<br />
platform heights too (from 30 cm to over<br />
one metre); currents also (1,500 volts<br />
or 3,000 volts direct current, 15 kV or 25 kV<br />
alternating current). These constraints<br />
all require a strong ability to adapt.<br />
In the Paris suburbs, the situation differed<br />
again. It was necessary not only<br />
to improve capacity but equally to optimise<br />
fl ows of passengers getting off and<br />
A few fi gures:<br />
Duplex<br />
Capacity: 510 to 600 seats<br />
Commercial speed: 320 km/h<br />
Number of trainsets<br />
in circulation: 130<br />
Power: 9,400 kW<br />
Length: 200 m (a single unit)<br />
Coradia Duplex<br />
Capacity: 110 seats per car,<br />
from 340 to 1,200 seats<br />
Composition:<br />
2 to 5 seats per car<br />
Length: 57.7 to 133.9 m<br />
Width: 2,806 m