HIGH-SPEED MOBILITY: KNORR-BREMSE SUPPORTS RZD TO DEVELOP NEXT-GENERATION VERY HIGH-SPEED TRAINS FOR RUSSIA
Knorr-Bremse, the global market leader for braking and other systems for rail and commercial vehicles, is to join with Russian national rail operator RZD and the Russian Engineering Center for Railway Transport (ECRT) to develop the next generation of very high-speed trains for Russia. The trains will link the country’s largest cities at speeds greater than 300 km/h. In the first project phase, Knorr-Bremse will be contributing its holistic systems expertise to help assess the design requirements.
Knorr-Bremse, Russian rail operator RZD and the Engineering Center for Railway Transport ECRT have concluded a partnership agreement to develop a new very high-speed train generation for Russia.
- Knorr-Bremse, Russian Railways RZD and the Russian Engineering Center ECRT have formed a strategic partnership for construction of a new very high-speed train generation
- In the initial phase, Knorr-Bremse will bring in its conceptual know-how and systems expertise to help determine the trains’ technical specifications
- The first trains with speeds greater than 300km/h are slated to enter service in 2026
“As the global technology leader we are proud to be part of this seminal and prestigious mobility project for the Russian rail transportation sector,” says Dr. Jürgen Wilder, Member of the Executive Board of Knorr-Bremse AG and responsible for the Rail Vehicle Systems division. “Russia’s investments in state-of-the-art rail infrastructure underline the key role of railways as a safe, highly available and efficient means of transportation.”
“Knorr-Bremse is looking forward to helping conceptualize the Russian very high-speed trains of the future, thus helping to provide people with even better rail connections,” adds Harald Schneider, Member of the Management Board of Knorr-Bremse Rail Vehicle Systems and responsible for activities in the CIS region. “In the long term, we will also work with our partners to commercialize this next generation by localizing it for the 1,520 mm gauge area.”
As a project partner, Knorr-Bremse will contribute its profound expertise in the co-development and equipment of trains in the very high-speed segment. The company has outstanding technological know-how in the field of high-performance pneumatic braking systems as well as state-of-the-art heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems for enhanced energy efficiency and passenger comfort. Additionally, Knorr-Bremse has long-standing and extensive expertise in the field of entrance systems with increased pressure tightness for operation at high velocities.
The ECRT was established by RZD and Sinara Transport Machines before the partnership was formed, with the aim of driving progress in rail transportation between Russian cities – and high-speed rail in particular. RZD has also announced the construction of a new rail link for the future generation of very high-speed trains, which will have speeds greater than 300 km/h and are slated to enter service in 2026.
The routes between the two business hubs of Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as between Moscow and Russia’s fifth-largest city, Nizhny Novgorod, are currently served by 16 Sapsan high-speed trains, with 13 additional trains of the same type scheduled to join the existing fleet. All of the Sapsan trains including the future additions are equipped with braking, entrance and HVAC systems as well as windscreen wipers and power electrics from Knorr-Bremse.
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