Alstom suing Eurostar over choosing Siemens

[Old Timer]

...There is more at stake here than the trains themselves; there is the sensitive issue of state-supported manufacturing (which in this case is France's Alstom and Germany's Siemens). This would be the first time that any subsiduary or affiliate of France's SNCF has ever placed an order for trains that hasn't been awarded to France's own manufacturer, Alstom. It threatens to become, to some extent, a feud between those two nations which the Commission has now formally extended to include the UK Government.

Sounds like the usual French position that competition is OK as long as France wins and as long as that competition does not apply within France itself.
:roll: :roll:

 

[asylumxl]

Ha ha - not from what I've seen mate! But nice try at a wind-up...

Not really a wind up. Just my own opinion.

If you know of major flaws in the Velaro design, please do share.

 

[TGV]

Not really a wind up. Just my own opinion.

If you know of major flaws in the Velaro design, please do share.

If that's not a wind up I don't know what is!

Flaws? Neither the TGV or Velaro have "Flaws". They wouldn't be carting passengers round Europe at 300/320km/h if they did.

What they do have are very key technical differences that are calculable and interesting. Neither is right or wrong (as much as many here would love to take sides like it's some kind of sport), but they are 2 different solutions to the same problem.

There is a world of difference between:

"I prefer X over Y"

and

"X is better than Y"

One is an opinion such as I assume you have made, and the other is a statement which needs facts to support. Unlike many (or any?) other members here, I have first hand experience of both types in a technical and engineering capacity. Yes there are aspects of each one that I think is technically superior to the other - but I am not going into detail on a public forum. I can be honest though and say that in some areas the Velaro is superior and in others the TGV is superior. These are areas that I have investigatged, modelled and written technical reports on. And no, I'm not sharing those either. If you value my opinion, you'll just have to trust me. Or we can meet some time and chat about it over a beer.

 

[asylumxl]

If you value my opinion, you'll just have to trust me. Or we can meet some time and chat about it over a beer.

Fair enough. If you're ever in the area, I'd love to know more. I am very interested in the engineering of modern trains, and pretty uninterested in trivial things (and I still don't get WTH bashing is about either).