Class 700 acceleration

[Joshapple23]

I was on a class 700 going from East Croydon- Harpenden. When the train switched to OHLE it accelerated what felt like double the pace?

 

[johnnymo]

Without checking the specs, my first assumption would be leaving East Croydon there is a 45 mph section before the 60 so the driver may have accelerated slowly but steadily upto 60. Once clear of the ThamesLink core onto the Midland Main line the higher line speed may have allowed a more aggressive driving style. If you get the change try a journey south from East Croydon where the line speed rapidly increases to 90 mph.

One other thing the acceleration profile was set to allow stops as Welwyn North with minimal delay to the ECML so the acceleration profile maybe different.

 

[Bigfoot]

Units on AC do accelerate at greater rates than DC, there's more juice available.

 

[bengley]

They accelerate much faster on the OLE than on third rail. My source: used to drive them.

 

[TRAX]

Traction voltage does indeed change the power output of rolling stock.
For example the Siemens Vectron X locomotive is able to churn out 6400 kW on 25 kV AC, but only 3500 kW on 1.5 kV DC.

 

[choochoochoo]

When they first entered service, they shifted really quickly from a stand. I think Siemens modded the acceleration to make it a little smoother.

Also the instruction to drivers is to use no more than 40% power until 5mph has been reached before selecting more power.

 

[westcoaster]

Pull away much quicker on AC than DC due to more power from the OHLE. Also if in automatic train operation (ATO) they accelerate away really quickly.

 

[Mattplans]

There's a pretty neat comparison clip of someone standing at Canonbury comparing the same LO trains accelerating on third rail (ELL) and OHLE (NLL). I won't be able to find it but might be worth the gander if you find yourself in the area. I know it's not a class 700 there but it does seem acceleration is slightly faster with OHLE.