The tests required for the operation of Siemens Mobility’s 56 Series 1293 railway traction vehicles, in the sector known as Vectron, in Hungary were organised and carried out by Rail Cargo Hungaria. The extremely complex inspection was successfully carried out in record time, 13 months, by joining forces between and with the smooth cooperation of the specialists of the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, the Directorate General for Infocommunication and Technology Systems of MÁV Zrt. and Siemens Mobility Kft. as well as an additional about half a dozen participating technological companies.
The state-of-the-art locomotives are the only ones in Europe that are suitable for running on the rail networks of 20 countries. It is also due to this capability that more than 850 Vectrons have been placed in service on the continent so far. The traction characteristics of the machine are unique in its own category: its starting traction force of 320 kN allows it to pull trains of up to 2,200 tonnes even on track sections under complex terrain conditions. Outstanding among its intelligent solutions is its ability to automatically distribute torque, by which it exerts the traction force between the axles adapted to the given conditions. The design of the machine also allows it to operate with Class B systems in the individual countries until the Single European Train Control System (ETCS) is fully deployed.
The commissioning process for the Series 1293 locomotives was carried out by RCH at the request of the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB). In doing so, the company’s specialists covered about 5,000 kilometres during the test runs and continuously coordinated the work of the participating professional organisations.
László Mosóczi, State Secretary for Transport Policy of the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, explained that world-class, state-of-the-art technology is gaining ground in railway technology in Hungary. In addition to the SIEMENS Vectron locomotives, the domestically manufactured IC+ carriages also create an opportunity for Hungarian market participants to carve out as large a slice as possible from international rail transport.
The railway authority also provided outstanding performance in the licensing of the 56 Vectron locomotives. In the past year, they had to conduct a vehicle test almost every week.
Advanced, innovative solutions pose ever-renewing challenges for the specialists of the authority, who are also working on, among other things, the type testing of double-decker multiple units and the licensing of tram trains. The State Secretary reminded that in order to strengthen the competitiveness of rail freight transport, the government provides a total of nearly HUF 30 billion in non-refundable grants for the ‘single wagon service’ in the next five years.
80% of RCH’s transports is international carriage, so it considers it a priority task to constantly improve the interoperability of its fleet. Simultaneously with the commissioning process, it also began training its own locomotive drivers: currently, 115 of the company’s specialists have become familiar with the model 1293.
The first state-of-the-art machines already operating as part of the fleet have proven their exceptional reliability and interoperability in recent months. Vectrons were given a key role in improving the efficiency and economy of the export transport of Hungarian grain to Italy. SIEMENS locomotives were chosen for the transport of 2,200-tonne grain trains due to the topographic conditions typical in this direction. The company benefits from the new machines also in the area of timber transport. In addition to Rail Cargo Hungaria’s nationwide individual single wagon service, the utilisation of the Vectron’s capabilities also played a role in the competitive performance of the task of transporting 100,000 tonnes per year to Italy.
The Vectron locomotives that entered service at RCH this year performed their duties without interruption and the least defect.