European and German railway safety agencies grant authorisation to the Talgo 230 train
The trains have been developed and manufactured entirely in Spain by Talgo.
www.talgo.com
The European Railway Agency (ERA) and the Federal Railway Authority in Germany (Eisenbahn-Bundesamt; EBA) earlier this week announced that the Talgo 230 train has received the necessary technical approval for commissioning by the German state-owned company Deutsche Bahn, under the commercial name “ICE L”. The type approval is also a further step towards operating the train in Denmark with Danske Statsbaner, under the name “EuroCity” (EC). All trains were developed and manufactured entirely in Spain.
The double homologation by the ERA and the EBA endorses not only Talgo’s technology and manufacturing quality, but also marks the final milestone in an industrial process that began in 2019 with an order from Deutsche Bahn (DB) for the supply of 23 trains, later extended as part of a framework contract for up to 100 units, and continued in 2020 with an order from Danske Statsbaner (DSB) for eight trains, later expanded to 16.
Developed and manufactured in Spain
The Talgo 230 product platform builds on Talgo’s expertise in high-speed rail and the Spanish manufacturer’s distinctive rolling assemblies technology. It offers high-capacity, lightweight vehicles with a commercial speed of up to 230 km/h, as well as enhanced acceleration and braking capabilities. This makes it ideal for countries with high population density, numerous urban centres and mesh railway networks where the number of stops and diversity of routes are high, compared to territories with radial-shaped networks and more dispersed cities.
The ICE L (Intercity Express Low-floor) and EC (EuroCity) trains are characterised by their modular design and high level of interoperability. Authorisation has thus been granted for various Talgo 230 train configurations to adapt to passenger demand depending on the route and time of year, with various lengths from 9 to 21 cars, and to be coupled to different locomotive types. Thanks to its interoperable capabilities, Talgo 230 technology also maximises cross-compatibility with various railway networks.
International services
The Talgo 230 trains have been designed to carry out international services that cross borders, making them an attractive alternative to flying. For this reason, and in line with customer specifications, they will also be certified and subsequently authorised by the national safety authorities of Austria (BMK) and the Netherlands (ILT) for both countries’ entire railway networks, as well as by the Swiss agency (BAV), but only for the Basel border station. This additional triple approval is expected in the near future.
The technical implementation of Talgo 230 in Germany will be carried out in phases. According to the recently received approval, the train sets will be able to run, first in Germany and soon in the other three countries mentioned, with third-party locomotives. Later, the ICE L trains will be powered by Br 105 locomotives, which were presented at the InnoTrans 2024 trade fair and are currently undergoing independent homologation. These locomotives are also developed and manufactured by Talgo.
A complex process, to ensure maximum reliability
To carry out this certification process, Talgo has collaborated closely with TÜV SÜD Rail since 2021. TÜV SÜD is a leading European body operating in the three pillars of the authorisation process for the numerous subsystems that comprise a train. TÜV SÜD is therefore a notified body (NoBo), a designated body (DeBo) and an assesment body (AsBo), in accordance with the 2016 European Union Directives on railway safety and interoperability. Furthermore, the TÜV SÜD test center performed the homologation testing campaign. Its work with the various Spanish engineering and expert teams involved in supplying trains to Germany and Denmark will enable the authorisation process results to be recognised in all EU Member States where the Talgo 230 trains will circulate.
Even after extensive European regulations were implemented to standardise the criteria for recognising national approvals and establish a single train ‘passport’ throughout the EU, the certification process for an interoperable, modular train such as the Talgo 230 still had to go through several, complex phases. These ranged from initial administrative definitions with each of the four national agencies and the European Agency to the final authorisation process, which began in March and has just concluded.
Between those two milestones, the first trains first underwent static certification tests in Spain, before beginning nearly two years of dynamic, braking, aerodynamics and electromagnetic compatibility tests on tracks in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
At the beginning of this year, these tests culminated in the issuance of certificates for the ICE L project. These certificates demonstrate to the ERA and EBA agencies that the Talgo 230 trains for Deutsche Bahn comply with all the operational and safety requirements set out in the applicable railway regulations. The teams involved will continue to be active in order to carry out any additional dynamic tests that may be necessary in the Netherlands or Austria.
In the process, it has also been necessary to collaborate with the various infrastructure managers in the participating countries, both to demonstrate the technical and compatibility requirements and to coordinate the train tests. The infrastructure managers involved are DB Infra Go in Germany (the largest in continental Europe), ÖBB Infra in Austria, ProRail in the Netherlands, and SBB in Switzerland.
Flix: next milestone for Talgo T 230
In addition to its current projects for DB and DSB, Talgo was commissioned in May to supply Flix, the Munich-based transport giant, with a fleet of interoperable trains. Valued at around €2.4 billion, the contract means that the Spanish manufacturer will supply up to 65 European high-speed trains based on the Talgo 230 platform. This includes an initial firm order of 30 trains, worth close to €1.06 billion.
Like previous iterations, the trains are designed to operate in Europe and will initially be configured to run in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden. They will also have full interoperability to facilitate cross-border operations. All units will be based on the same type of train that has just received approval.
www.talgo.com
