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.
Saudi Arabian train on test
Diesel and Electric motive power and operations in Asia.
- John Ashworth
- Site Admin
- Posts: 23606
- Joined: 24 Jan 2007, 14:38
- Location: Nairobi, Kenya
- Contact:
Return to “Asia and Middle East - Modern Motive Power”
Jump to
- YOUR FIRST TIME HERE? QUESTIONS ON THE FORUM? PLEASE READ....
- ↳ Using the Forums
- ↳ What You Can Get Out Of The Forum!!!!
- ↳ This Forum - Frequently Asked Questions
- ↳ FOTR Forum Help
- ↳ Testing How To Do Posts...
- FRIENDS OF THE RAIL - PUBLIC TRAIN TRIPS YOU CAN TAKE!
- ↳ FOTR Train Trips - Destinations, Schedules and Other News
- ↳ Cullinan Venues
- ↳ Corporate Venues and Packages
- ↳ Your Feedback on Trips and Venues
- ↳ Your Trip Pictures
- FRIENDS OF THE RAIL - NEWS, INFORMATION (INCLUDING OUR NEWSLETTER) AND WEBSITE/FORUM FEEDBACK
- ↳ FOTR - Announcements and News
- ↳ FOTR - 3117 15F Accident and Appeal
- ↳ FOTR - Newsletter !!!!
- ↳ FOTR - Website and Forum Feedback - Your Suggestions and Questions !
- FRIENDS OF THE RAIL PHOTO GALLERY (Requires Registration)
- ↳ FOTR Picture of the Month
- ↳ FOTR Trips and Events
- ↳ FOTR - Very Special Occasions !
- ↳ 15F 3117 - Inaugural Passenger Train - 16 December 2008
- ↳ 15F 3117 - First Steaming - 14 October 2008
- ↳ Hermanstad - first passenger train - 27 July 2008
- ↳ Hermanstad - 1st steam train to new site - 16 March 2008
- ↳ Farewell To John.....
- ↳ John's Wedding !
- ↳ 21st Anniversary of FOTR
- ↳ FOTR Steam and Miscellaneous Engines
- ↳ FOTR - Steam Engine 15F 3117
- ↳ FOTR - Steam Engine 19D 2650
- ↳ FOTR - Steam Engine 24 3664
- ↳ FOTR - Steam Engine 15CA 2850
- ↳ FOTR - Steam Engine 15F 3094
- ↳ FOTR - Steam Engine 8D 1223
- ↳ FOTR - Steam Fireless Locomotives
- ↳ FOTR - Funkey Diesel Locomotive
- ↳ FOTR - Electric Motor Coach
- ↳ FOTR - Steam Engines GMAM Garratts 4135 and 4148
- ↳ FOTR - Steam Engine 15F 3052
- ↳ FOTR Rolling Stock
- ↳ FOTR Miscellaneous Equipment
- ↳ FOTR - The New Hermanstad Site
- ↳ FOTR Capital Park
- ↳ FOTR People
- ↳ Railway Operations - ask a question about how railways work..
- ↳ Railway Research
- ↳ Railways at War
- SOUTHERN AFRICAN MOTIVE POWER MOVEMENTS (Requires Registration)
- ↳ Main Line Motive Power
- ↳ Industrial Motive Power
- SOUTH AFRICAN RAILWAYS (Requires Registration)
- ↳ South Africa - Motive Power
- ↳ South Africa - Diesel Motive Power
- ↳ South Africa - Electric Motive Power
- ↳ South Africa - Steam Motive Power
- ↳ South Africa - Rapid Transit Systems (Gautrain & Metro)
- ↳ South Africa - Industrial Motive Power
- ↳ South Africa - Coaches, Rolling Stock & Miscellaneous Vehicles
- ↳ South Africa - Stations, Signals and Infrastructure
- ↳ South Africa - General Railway News and Discussion (except for Heritage News)
- ↳ South Africa - Heritage Railway News and Discussion
- ↳ South Africa - Plinthed/Heritage Locomotives and Rolling Stock
- ↳ South Africa - South African Railways Abroad
- ↳ South Africa - Photo Gallery - POST YOUR PICTURES HERE!
- ↳ South Africa - Diesel Motive Power
- ↳ South Africa - Electric Motive Power
- ↳ South Africa - Rapid Transit Systems
- ↳ Gautrain
- ↳ Metro Rail Systems
- ↳ South Africa - Coaches, Rolling Stock & Miscellaneous Vehicles
- ↳ South Africa - Steam and Heritage Railways
- ↳ SAR/SAS/Spoornet/TFR
- ↳ Atlantic Rail
- ↳ Sisonke Stimela (Ingwe Municipality)
- ↳ Oosterlijn
- ↳ Outeniqua Choo-tjoe
- ↳ Paton County Railway
- ↳ Reefsteamers
- ↳ ROVOS Rail
- ↳ Sandstone
- ↳ Umgeni
- ↳ SANRASM
- ↳ Plinthed Locos
- ↳ Other Steam Sites
- ↳ South Africa - Stations, Signals, Infrastructure and Miscellaneous
- ↳ South African Railways Abroad
- ↳ The Charles Lewis Series - Comments and discussion
- ↳ The Charles Lewis Series - The Pictures
- WORLD RAILWAYS - REST OF AFRICA (Requires Registration)
- ↳ Rest of Africa - Modern Motive Power
- ↳ Rest of Africa - Steam Motive Power
- ↳ Rest of Africa - Other Railway Topics
- ↳ Rest of Africa - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Kenya - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Kenya - Diesel Motive Power - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Kenya - Steam Motive Power - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Kenya - Coaches, Rolling Stock & Miscellaneous Vehicles - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Kenya - Stations, Signals, Infrastructure and Miscellaneous - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Sudan and South Sudan - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Zimbabwe and Zambia - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Eritrea - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Uganda - Photo Gallery
- ↳ UR/EAR/EARH Historic Photo Gallery
- ↳ Mocambique, Angola - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Other African Countries - Photo Gallery
- WORLD RAILWAYS - EUROPE (Requires Registration)
- ↳ Europe - Modern Motive Power
- ↳ Europe - Steam Motive Power
- ↳ Europe - Other Railway Topics
- ↳ Europe - Photo Gallery
- ↳ U.K. & Ireland - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Scandinavia - Photo Gallery
- ↳ France - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Switzerland - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Netherlands - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Germany - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Spain & Portugal - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Rest of Europe - Photo Gallery
- WORLD RAILWAYS - AMERICAS (Requires Registration)
- ↳ North/Central/South America - Modern Motive Power
- ↳ North/Central/South America - Steam Motive Power
- ↳ North/Central/South America - Other Railway Topics
- ↳ North/Central/South America - Photo Gallery
- WORLD RAILWAYS - ASIA AND MIDDLE EAST (Requires Registration)
- ↳ Asia and Middle East - Modern Motive Power
- ↳ Asia and Middle East - Steam Motive Power
- ↳ Asia and Middle East - Other Railway Topics
- ↳ Asia and Middle East - Photo Gallery
- WORLD RAILWAYS - AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND (Requires Registration)
- ↳ Australia/New Zealand - Modern Motive Power
- ↳ Australia/New Zealand - Steam Motive Power
- ↳ Australia/New Zealand - Other Railway Topics
- ↳ Australia/New Zealand - Photo Gallery
- PHOTOGRAPHING TRAINS AND RAILWAYS (Requires Registration)
- ↳ Photography - Still Photography
- ↳ Photography - Video Photography.
- ↳ FOTR - Train Spotting and Photo Shoot Possibilities
- OTHER RAILWAY THINGS FOR RAILFANS (Requires Registration)
- ↳ Train Tales
- ↳ Jokes and Assorted Humour
- ↳ Book/Magazine News
- ↳ DVD News
- ↳ Film News
- ↳ Railworks (ex Kuju Rail Simulator)
- ↳ Model Trains
- ↳ N Scale Entire Bedroom Layout
- ↳ MTE Model Railway Layout Build #1 - HO European Layout.
- ↳ N Scale Garage Layout Build
- ↳ OO/HO African profile model railway in Kenya
- ↳ Miniature Railway Engineering
- ↳ Websites
- ↳ Micromodels
- ↳ Microsoft Train Simulator.
- ↳ MSTS News, Views and Anything Else!
- ↳ MSTS News With A South African Flavour.....
- ↳ Microsoft train Simulator 2 (deceased!)
- ↳ Other Railway Software
- POLLS (Requires Registration)
- ↳ Polls
- OTHER THINGS THAT RUN WITH STEAM! (requires Registration)
- ↳ Other Steam Devices and Mechanical Machines and Objects!
- LOCKER ROOM (Requires Registration)
- ↳ Locker Room