Questions about Benelux service after ICR retirement

[Stephen Lee]

The ICR+TRAXX are supposed to be replaced by FYRA units in 2010s but however the mechanical problems suffered in the FYRA trainsets made NS and SNCB sent the units back to Ansaldo Breda which was modified and transferred to Italy. I wondered apart from the NS Coradia units, will the SNCB M7 units be deployed to Benelux IC service as well?

 

[DanielB]

Only the NS Coradia units (ICNG, the 20 8-car sets with 3 kV capability only) will run the Benelux service when ICR is gone. Currently one of them is already testing in Belgium.

M7 will be able to cross the border to The Netherlands, but as it's not 1,5 kV capable and doesn't have ATB will need to do so running at 50% power. Therefore it's limited to the border stations Roosendaal and Maastricht, similar to the current Belgian stock crossing the border. At least in Roosendaal there are plans to install TBL+ to remove the current issue that Belgian trains are running without any operational safety system on Dutch tracks.

Another issue is that the Dutch high speed line has an ETCS version not approved in Belgium and Germany, reducing interoperability. Besides the "tiny" problem of the 1,5 kV requirement to be able to call at any station (the Benelux changes voltage 5 times prior to reaching the border).

 

[Stephen Lee]

Only the NS Coradia units (ICNG, the 20 8-car sets with 3 kV capability only) will run the Benelux service when ICR is gone. Currently one of them is already testing in Belgium.

M7 will be able to cross the border to The Netherlands, but as it's not 1,5 kV capable and doesn't have ATB will need to do so running at 50% power. Therefore it's limited to the border stations Roosendaal and Maastricht, similar to the current Belgian stock crossing the border. At least in Roosendaal there are plans to install TBL+ to remove the current issue that Belgian trains are running without any operational safety system on Dutch tracks.

Another issue is that the Dutch high speed line has an ETCS version not approved in Belgium and Germany, reducing interoperability. Besides the "tiny" problem of the 1,5 kV requirement to be able to call at any station (the Benelux changes voltage 5 times prior to reaching the border).

What will the TRAXX go? They are still young........

 

[biko]

Back to the rolling stock company (they are leased by NS)

 

[43096]

M7 will be able to cross the border to The Netherlands, but as it's not 1,5 kV capable and doesn't have ATB will need to do so running at 50% power. Therefore it's limited to the border stations Roosendaal and Maastricht, similar to the current Belgian stock crossing the border. At least in Roosendaal there are plans to install TBL+ to remove the current issue that Belgian trains are running without any operational safety system on Dutch tracks.

Would it not make more sense to go straight to ETCS to Roosendaal, rather than installing an obsolete system that the Belgians will be phasing out?

What will the TRAXX go? They are still young........

That's the challenge for Akiem and Alpha Trains, and probably a large part of the reason why NS sold 186001-045 to Akiem after initially buying them outright.

 

[DanielB]

Would it not make more sense to go straight to ETCS to Roosendaal, rather than installing an obsolete system that the Belgians will be phasing out?

The Belgians are actually not phasing out TBL1+, but have been thinking ahead with this system: the balises which are used for it can easily be converted to ETCS when required.

Installing ETCS in Roosendaal doesn't really make sense yet as you'd need to either do the work twice or need to convert the whole station to dual signalling (as the Dutch trains passing there are not yet adapted for ETCS).
TBL1+ would only need to be added between the border and platform 1A (which is currently for safety reasons the only platform used for Belgian trains, avoiding crossings with other trains)

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

What will the TRAXX go? They are still young........

All NS's TRAXX's are quadruple voltage (1.5+3+15+25kV) so they could find new homes in quite a few different countries.

 

[Stephen Lee]

All NS's TRAXX's are quadruple voltage (1.5+3+15+25kV) so they could find new homes in quite a few different countries.

But I think the TRAXXs will most likely being concentrated on Freight Services......