SWITZERLAND: Matterhorn Gotthard Railway and Stadler have unveiled a jointly-developed v+ braking system, which they say will enable operation of the ’world’s fastest’ rack-and-pinion rail service.
One of MGBahn’s Stadler Orion metre-gauge electric multiple-units used on the Andermatt – Göschenen branch has been fitted with v+ braking equipment. This has enabled the maximum speed when running downhill to be raised from 21 to 30 km/h, while ensuring that the unit can still stop within the required specifications, despite the ruling gradient of 18%.
The speed-up has cut 4 min off the 15 min journey time on the 3·8 km route, allowing the half-hourly service to be operated with one trainset instead of two and providing greater operational stability.
Development of v+ was backed with financial support from the Swiss government. Following the successful commissioning of the prototype, MGBahn has decided that v+ will be retrofitted to its other 11 Orion ABeh 8/12 units, as well as 25 more sets on order for delivery from 2026.
The three-car 11 kV 16·7 Hz EMUs have a maximum speed of 120 km/h when running in adhesion mode.
‘The new rack-and-pinion braking system offers significant added value for both railway operators and passengers’, said Christoph Leiterer, Head of Engineering at Stadler’s Tailor Made Products business unit, when the technology was unveiled on March 25. ‘From now on, other rack railways can also benefit from and use the innovative braking system for new purchases.’
