Saudi Arabian train on test

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Saudi Arabian train on test

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Saudi Arabian train on test at Velim

Railway Gazette International
26 August 2011

SAUDI ARABIA: The first of eight fixed-formation diesel trainsets which Saudi Railways Organisation ordered from CAF in July 2008 is now undergoing trials at the VUZ testing centre at Velim in the Czech Republic.

The 180 km/h push-pull trainset is formed of five 26·8 m long passenger coaches and single-cab 22·3 m long diesel-electric power car with a 3 600 kW MTU engine.

There is 2+1 seating for 94 first class passengers in the driving car and second coach, with 2+2 seats for 192 second class passengers in the other vehicles. The driving trailer includes a luggage compartment. The centre coach has two wheelchair spaces, along with a buffet counter, conductor's compartment and a prayer room where an interactive screen continually displays an arrow pointing towards Makkah.

Getting the train to Velim was not easy, as at 3 050 mm wide and 4 570 mm high the vehicles do not fit European loading gauges. CAF had intended to ship them by barge to Cerhenice via the Elbe river, but low water levels meant it was not possible to get further upstream than Magdeburg. The train was therefore offloaded and hauled to Velim by German private operator OHE, but it took more than a month to get approval for the out-of-gauge movement.

The train is expected to remain at the test centre for the rest of this year.


First CAF train for Saudi Arabia on test

International Railway Journal
Friday, August 26, 2011

THE first of eight 200km/h diesel trains being supplied by CAF, Spain, under a Euros 105m contract awarded by Saudi Railways Organisation in 2008, has started test running on the Velim test track in the Czech Republic. Testing will continue until the end of the year.

The trains consist of a power car and five coaches with a total length of 152.2m. The vehicles are 3.05m wide and 4.57m high above the top of the rail. The large size of the train made it difficult to transport it from Spain to Velim, and only the final part of the journey from Magdeburg in Germany could be completed by rail.

The power car is equipped with a 3.6MW MTU engine as well as a baggage area. There are two second-class and two first-class coaches, plus a coach fitted with a buffet counter, two spaces for wheelchairs, and a compartment for the conductor. The train also has an area for praying with a TV monitor to show the direction of Mecca.
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