That's why the passengers of the SBB-Pannenzug are bad – Economy News: Business

A lot of fun have had in Europa Park in Rust, a man recently wrote in a social media, and in each wild track he accompanied his son: in two seconds from zero to one hundred, plunged deep, into loops – no problem, But on the way home, on the new Bombardier train, he felt bad because he was so shaken.

The entry of man is just one example of the criticism that is currently raining on the new FV-Dosto SBB train and seems not demolished. It is the talk of vertigo, stoves or luggage too small. The most expensive purchase of the railway company's history has become a disaster.

"For customers and staff, the reliability of FV Dosto is unacceptable."SBB

For CHF 1.9 billion, SBB ordered new double-decker trains from Bombardier in 2010, but their introduction has been postponed over and over again. In the summer of 2017, the Canadian producer delivered the first copies of the Twindexx Swiss Express, which is also called FV-Dosto (an abbreviation for the long-distance double-decker train), three years later. Today, about nine years after the signing of the contract, instead of the 59 trains purchased, only 12 are rolling over a restricted area of ​​operation.

They were on the Interregio Basel-Zurich route for a month.St. Gallen-Cur and they caused several problems. Trains have limitations in customer comfort and serious technical defects. Again and again these are failures and delays.

For the time being, SBB has no other choice on the planned use of the new trains on the parade route St. Gallen-Genf-airport to give up. They announced this last week in a statement issued. The current application will be extended only if vehicles could be used reliably for several weeks, wrote the SBB. The reliability in the first month of operation was described as "unacceptable" and required improvements from the Bombardier manufacturer. Three problems concern in particular the SBB:

1. Failures due to technical errors
"Do not get in the car": the new FFS-based train of the SBB causes numerous cancellations and delays. (Image: Keystone)

Errors in the passenger information system, the heaters and the air conditioning are still the smallest evil. Much more serious effects have failures in the drive, ports and software. They currently represent two-thirds of all outages and cause delays and interruptions.

This is annoying for the customers, but also for the staff. Again and again do not close the doors. And when the control software hits, the train literally turns, complains Hans-Ruedi Schürch, President of the Locomotive Staff Association (LPV), on "Watson". The motor driver is completely delivered to the electronics and must restart the entire operating system, which takes up to 30 minutes. "It's a tragedy from A to Z."

2. Roll compensation ensures vertigo

The biggest strength of the train is now one of its weaknesses: FV-Dosto is a new variant of installed tilt technology called roller compensation (Wako). It prevents cars from leaning too far forward – something that only occurred with one-level ICNs. So FV Dosto can do it 15 percent drive faster.

A conventional two-story car is pushed out into the bend due to lateral acceleration. The new FV Dosto but thanks to the Wako 2 degrees they tend to reduce lateral acceleration that affects passengers. With the ICN, active tilt technology even allows for an inclination up to 8 degrees,

However, SBB did not use wako at all, as they say on request. "The compensation of the roll on the carriages of the new trains is currently switched off because the current timetable does not allow trains to arrive at their destination faster", explains Christian Ginsig, spokesman for the SBB media. In the next few years or until the corresponding time table changes, the FV-Dosto would then operate like normal two-story mops.

However, it shakes in FV at low speeds already unusually strong, as previous experience has shown. "It's a new cart with new racing features. And the interaction between suspension and Wako technology is not yet correct, "explains Ginsig, for example, when trains cross several points, they falter, especially for passengers on the upper floor creating the feeling that the car it could overturn, which is why customers call Dosto a train shaker.

That the ride comfort is not optimal, even from SBB. They urge Bombardier to take further measures to improve the so-called smooth running at low speeds.

3. Disabled people only
The ramp as an obstacle: a wheelchair user enters the FV-Dosto. (Image: Keystone)

The FV Dosto has a lower cross section than other double-decker trains arriving in Switzerland. In order not to lose comfort and have a decent height in the bottom floor, the floor had to be laid deeper. And so the infamous ramp to the door and then to the edge of the staircase, for which the disability association Inclusion Handicap moved to court, came to light.

At the end of November, the Federal Administrative Court rejected the complaint in the majority, but stated that the inclusion of the handicap in a right place: the inclination of the loading ramp should not overcome 15 percent respectively. For wheelchair users this is still too much, says the association. It requires a slope at most 12 percent and pass the case to the federal court.

Faster and more space

Despite all the criticisms we forget that FV Dosto in addition to the conventional double stick also has advantages. The new train has energy-saving engines that save energy around 10 percent to allow. It has a distributed transmission system in which twelve traction motors are used in the eight-part unit trolleys. Every train car is therefore a railway wagon.

Furthermore, FV Dosto offers more space than its predecessors. If you are guided with two compositions, stand up 400 meters Length up to 1364 places available and then 300 more than previous two-story trains.

The maximum speed is about the same as that of the double-decker IC 200 kilometers to & # 39; now. In contrast to the old model, however, the new train could drive faster in the corners, as already described. SBB expects a profit in driving time of almost 10 percentFor example, the travel time of the Bern-Lausanne route at the moment 66 minutes it lasts an hour to fall But as long as the roll compensation is not activated, this is still a dream of the future.

There has been no criticism: in May 2017, for the first time, the public will have an in-depth view of the new two-story train. (Video: Lea Koch)

(Tages-Anzeiger)

Created on: 16.01.2019, 12:22 clock