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55-449: During the late 2010s, ILSA worked to secure the necessary approval and resources to launch the service. During early 2022, it was announced that the company had attracted the interest of Globalvia, which subsequently joined with the two original founding companies in the venture. The Iryo brand was launched in November 2021, one year prior to the commencement of its first services, which ran on

110-511: A Siemens Velaro train-set (AVE S-103) reached the highest top speed ever in Spain: 403.7 km/h (250.8 mph). At this time, it was a record for railed vehicles in Spain and a world record for unmodified commercial service trainsets, as the earlier TGV and ICE records were achieved with specially modified and shortened trainsets, and the 1996 Shinkansen record of 443 km/h (275.3 mph)

165-409: A Unichanger capable of handling four different VGA systems was under development. VGA is particularly important with international railway traffic because gauge changes tend to occur more often at international borders. Different systems have different limitations, for example, some can be used on carriages and wagons only and are unsuitable for motive power, while others require that rolling stock

220-465: A 100 m (328 ft) train takes only 24 seconds to convert. A gauge changer is a device which forces the gauge adjustment in the wheels. Designs consist of a pair of running rails that gradually vary in width between the two gauges, combined with other rails and levers to perform the following steps, using Talgo RD as an example: In the Spanish Talgo-RD system, a constant spray of water

275-545: A 24 km (14.9 mi) sub-section (from km 81.0 to km 105.24) and plans to rapidly extend the 310 km/h (192.6 mph) speed throughout the Spanish high-speed network. Nevertheless, after almost 5 years of operation with S103 trains running at up to 310 km/h (192.6 mph) on this section, the speed was decreased back to 300 km/h (186.4 mph) on 17 August 2016. The tests performed by ADIF had revealed that, at speeds exceeding 300 km/h (186.4 mph),

330-505: A 50 percent discount available; ticket prices across all operators have been cut since the launch of operations. Iryo added a Madrid– Cuenca – Valencia route in December 2022. In February 2023, it was announced that the company had been authorised to launch four more routes. Accordingly, additional services covering Madrid– Córdoba – Seville / Malaga were launched in March 2023; three months later,

385-503: A Madrid– Albacete – Alicante service commenced as well. It has been observed that, following the arrival of open-access operators such as Iryo and Ouigo España , passenger numbers have sharply risen, reportly doubling on the Madrid-València corridor during late 2022. During June 2023, it was announced that Iryo had formed an alliance with the Spanish airline Air Europa to facilitate the provision of combined plane and train tickets to

440-530: A new standard gauge line from Madrid to the French border (Madrid–Zaragoza–Lleida) was completed and on 11 October of that year commercial service began. This service also stopped at Guadalajara–Yebes and Calatayud . The service began running at only 200 km/h (124.3 mph). On 19 May 2006, after two years of operation, speed was increased to 250 km/h (155.3 mph) when the Spanish ASFA signalling system

495-804: A similar Talgo-RD gauge changer at the Haparanda end used to exist, but was removed as it required de-icing in winter. Train ferry traffic operated by SeaRail and arriving from Germany and Sweden by sea used bogie exchange facilities in the Port of Turku . A new gauge changer has been put in place in Akhalkalaki for Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway . Northwestern end has rails 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) apart, southeastern end has rails 1,520 mm ( 4 ft  11 + 27 ⁄ 32  in ) apart. Both bogie exchange and variable gauge adapters are provided. The "Gauge Change Train"

550-576: A while on the Grand Trunk Railway in the 1860s in Canada to connect 5 ft 6 in ( 1,676 mm ) and 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge without transshipment. Five hundred vehicles were fitted with "adjustable gauge trucks" but following heavy day-in, day-out use the system proved unsatisfactory, particularly in cold and snowy weather. The system used telescoping axles with wide hubs that allowed

605-516: Is a project started in Japan in the 1990s to investigate the feasibility of producing an electric multiple unit (EMU) train capable of operating both the 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) Shinkansen high-speed network at 270–300 km/h (168–186 mph) and the original 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) network at 130–140 km/h (81–87 mph). See U.S. patent 5,816,170 . The first-generation train

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660-424: Is altered by driving the train through a gauge changer installed at the break of gauge which moves the wheels to the gauge desired. Variable gauge systems exist within the internal network of Spain, and are installed on international links between Spain/France (Spanish train), Sweden/Finland (Swedish train), Poland/ Lithuania (Polish train) and Poland/ Ukraine (Polish train). A system for changing gauge without

715-682: Is an international high speed rail section between France and Spain. The section connects two cities on opposite sides of the border, Perpignan in Occitanie , France , and Figueres in Catalonia , Spain . It consists of a 44.4-kilometre (27.6 mi) railway which crosses the French – Spanish border via the Perthus Tunnel , an 8.3-kilometre (5.2 mi) tunnel bored under the Perthus Pass. The section

770-436: Is less room between the wheels for the gauge change mechanism, the traction motors, and the brakes. The diameter of the wheels also limits the axleload to no more than 22.5 tonnes. A variable gauge multiple unit , or a train including a variable gauge locomotive (e.g. Talgo 250) and rolling stock, may drive straight across a gauge changer. Normally the locomotive will not be able to change gauge, meaning that it must move out of

825-710: Is open to high speed trains and freight. Construction was completed in February 2009, although services did not run until a station was built on the line at Figueres. As of March 2015, a daily TGV service connects Paris to Barcelona Sants via Perpignan-Figueres with 2 pairs of trips, plus other connections involving Lyon, Marseille, and Toulouse. 41°36′34″N 0°13′15″E  /  41.6094°N 0.2207°E  / 41.6094; 0.2207 Variable gauge Variable gauge systems allow railway vehicles to travel between two railways with different track gauges . Vehicles are equipped with variable gauge axles (VGA). The gauge

880-631: Is to run. During February 2022, it was reported that the Spanish infrastructure investment fund Globalvia was interested in acquiring a stake in Intermodalidad de Levante (ILSA), the high speed joint venture between Trenitalia and Air Nostrum. In September 2022, Globalvia announced the completion of its acquisition of a 24 percent stake in ILSA and thereby its involvement in Iryo. In late November 2022, Iryo inaugurated its initial service, running 12 trains per day on

935-560: Is unloaded before going through the gauge changer. When one of the gauges is narrow there may not be enough space between the wheels for the Brakes, Gauge Changer and the Traction Motors. The maximum speed of the trains equipped with the different technologies varies. Only CAF and Talgo produce high-speed VGA, allowing speeds up to 330 km/h. The Talgo RD GC changes gauge at a speed of 15 kilometres per hour (9.3 mph; 4.2 m/s) so

990-583: Is used to lubricate the metal surfaces, to reduce heat and wear. A Talgo RD gauge changer is 20 m (65 ft 7 in) long and 6 m (19 ft 8 in) wide. At present the choice of gauge is limited to two out of three of 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) and broad gauges 1,520 mm ( 4 ft  11 + 27 ⁄ 32  in ) and 1,676 mm ( 5 ft 6 in ). With narrow gauges such as 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) as found at Zweisimmen , Switzerland, there

1045-617: The Madrid–Barcelona high-speed rail line in competition with RENFE and Ouigo España . Throughout 2023, additional services covering Madrid – Córdoba – Seville / Malaga and Madrid– Albacete – Alicante have been launched. The company has publicly declared its intention to pursue a 30 percent market share along its routes. The bulk of Iryo's fleet comprises 20 Frecciarossa 1000 high speed train sets. On 17 September 2018, Intermodalidad de Levante S.A. (ILSA) received approval to launch an open-access high-speed passenger services in Spain; at

1100-570: The Paris-Lyon route ). Indeed, by the end of 2017, the line had already taken 63% of the traffic, taking most of it from aircraft. A few years before the Madrid-Barcelona route was the world's busiest passenger air route in 2007 with 971 scheduled flights per week (both directions). Similarly more than 80% of travelers between Madrid and Seville use the AVE, with fewer than 20% traveling by air. There

1155-510: The UNESCO -recognized Casa Milà also designed by Antoni Gaudí . Furthermore, until 2005 both Siemens and Talgo / Bombardier train sets failed to meet scheduled speed targets, although in a test run during the homologation tests of the new S102 trains of RENFE , a train-set Talgo 350 (AVE S-102) reached a speed of 365 km/h (226.8 mph) on the night of the 25/26 June 2006, and in July 2006

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1210-423: The AVE line. For example, during the construction of the AVE tunnel near Barcelona, a number of nearby buildings suffered damage from a sinkhole that appeared near a commuter rail station, damaging one of its platforms. The construction committee of Barcelona's famed Sagrada Familia church lobbied for a re-routing of the tunnel – it passes within metres of the massive church's foundations. It also passes equally near

1265-604: The French TGV high-speed network. There have been delays in building a four kilometre tunnel in Girona , the first phase of which was finished in September 2010, and controversy over the route between Sants and Sagrera stations in Barcelona. As of January 2013 there are eight trains a day running from Madrid, connecting at Figueres Vilafant with two TGV services to Paris. This

1320-504: The Kraków-Lviv line. On 14 December 2003 VGA passenger trains were introduced between Kraków (Poland) and Lviv (Ukraine) instead of bogie exchange . VGA saves about 3 hours compared to bogie exchange. The trains last ran in 2016. Spain is the largest user of variable gauge systems. This is because of the need to connect older mainlines built to Iberian gauge and extensive new high-speed railway lines and connections to France, using

1375-478: The Minister of Public Works, Magdalena Álvarez, stated that the maximum commercial operating speeds of the AVE on all lines would be 300 km/h (186.4 mph). On 11 December 2011, the speed was raised to 310 km/h (192.6 mph) on a 60 km (37.3 mi) section of the railway (between km 64.4, near Guadalajara, and km 124.4), with plans to further increase the speed to 320 km/h (198.8 mph) on

1430-502: The Montreux–Gstaad–Zweisimmen–Spiez–Interlaken line. Trains automatically switch from 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) to 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) at Zweisimmen . The bogie has no axles, which allow the bogie half frames holding the wheels on both sides to slide sideways relative to each other. The EV09-Prose gauge changer at Zweisimmen

1485-830: The Polish SUW 2000 system is installed at Mockava north of the Lithuanian-Polish border. VGA passenger trains between Lithuania and Poland were running between October 1999 and May 2005, and VGA goods trains between early 2000s and 2009. There are two gauge changing facilities of the Polish SUW 2000 system installed on the Polish-Ukrainian border, one of them in Dorohusk (Poland) on the Warsaw-Kiyv line, another in Mostyska (Ukraine) on

1540-461: The air which the trains were moving underneath was causing some stones of the ballast to rise, hitting the trains and causing damage of various kinds (the Spanish high-speed railways follow the French high-speed rail model of laying the rails on a bed of stones known as ballast, instead of laying the tracks on concrete plates, as is done for high-speed rail in Germany). Due to this technical limitation and

1595-476: The arriving locomotive stops just short of the gauge changer, uncouples and moves into a short siding out of the way. Gravity then moves the train through the gauge changer at a controlled low speed. The new locomotive is coupled onto the front only after the full train has finished passing through the changer. From 2014 gauge changing systems for freight wagons were being developed. In 1933, as many as 140 inventions were offered to Australia railways to overcome

1650-593: The body height with the platform height on the MOB or BLS AG portion of the GoldenPass Express. John Fowler mentions in 1886 at attempt by the GWR to develop a "telescopical" axle. Trams ran between Leeds ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in or 1,435 mm standard gauge ) and Bradford ( 4 ft or 1,219 mm gauge) following a successful trial in 1906 using Bradford tram car number 124. The system

1705-419: The breaks of gauge between the different states. None was accepted. About 20 of these devices were adjustable wheels/axles of some kind or another, which may be analogous to the modern VGA . VGA systems were mostly intended for Broad Gauge and Standard Gauge lines. Break of Gauge stations were installed at Port Pirie , Peterborough and Albury ; these were fairly manual in operation. The newest installation

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1760-567: The cities of Madrid and Barcelona in 2 hours 30 minutes. In Barcelona the line is connected with the Perpignan–Barcelona high-speed rail line leading into France which connects it to the European high speed network. Trains are operated by the national railway Renfe under the AVE and Avlo brands, and by private competitors Ouigo España and Iryo . In 2003 construction of the first phase of

1815-463: The following services: This rail-transport related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Madrid%E2%80%93Barcelona high-speed rail line The Madrid–Barcelona high-speed rail line is a 621-kilometre (385.9 mi) standard gauge railway line inaugurated on 20 February 2008. Designed for speeds of 350 km/h (217.5 mph) and compatibility with neighbouring countries' rail systems, it connects

1870-591: The high-speed line was built, the journey between the two cities took more than six hours. It was originally forecast that, after reaching Barcelona in 2004, the line would run at 350 km/h (217.5 mph), the maximum capable speed of the new Siemens AVE trains S103 which have replaced the Talgo Bombardier AVE S102, after the installation of level 2 of the ETCS/ERTMS . But on the AVE's first day of operating at 300 km/h (186.4 mph) to Tarragona

1925-549: The mid-2020s. For rolling stock, the company ordered twenty new Frecciarossa 1000 train sets, similar to those operated by Trenitalia since 2015. Nine of these had been delivered prior to the launch of services to Barcelona. During late 2022, it was speculated that the company may in the future acquire variable-gauge trains, which would enable Iryo to provide services to areas, such as in Galicia , which are presently accessible only via Iberian-gauge tracks. As of 2024 Iryo offers

1980-525: The need to stop is in widespread use for passenger traffic in Spain , for services run on a mix of dedicated high-speed lines (using Standard gauge ) and older lines (using Iberian gauge ). Similar systems for freight traffic are still in their infancy, as the higher axle weight increases the technological challenge. Although several alternatives exist, including transferring freight, replacing individual wheels and axles , bogie exchange , transporter flatcars or

2035-440: The new locomotive and pulled the rest of the way. A long length of wire-rope with hooks on the end means that the process can be asynchronous, with the rope used to bridge across the length of the gauge changer (to temporarily couple the arriving cars and receiving locomotive, although without braking control from the locomotive to the train vehicles). On long-distance trains in Spain and night trains crossing from Spain into France,

2090-468: The problem of a break-of-gauge without having to resort to dual gauge tracks or transshipment . Systems allow the adjustment between two gauges. No gauge changer designs supporting more than two gauges are used. There are several variable gauge axle systems: The variable gauge systems are not themselves all compatible. The SUW 2000 and Rafil Type V systems are interoperable, as are TALGO-RD and CAF-BRAVA. In 2009, at Roda de Barà near Tarragona ,

2145-530: The route between Madrid and Barcelona ; these sometimes called at Zaragoza . Its services are operated in competition with the national railway operator Renfe 's AVE and Avlo services, as well as the French-owned low-cost carrier Ouigo España ; thus, Spain became the first country in Europe with three competing high-speed rail operators. Two months prior to the launch, Iryo had made available advanced tickets at

2200-517: The simple transshipment of freight or passengers, they are impractical, thus a cheap and fast system for changing gauge would be beneficial for cross-border freight traffic. Alternative names include Gauge Adjustable Wheelsets (GAW), Automatic Track Gauge Changeover Systems (ATGCS/AGCS), Rolling Stock Re-Gauging System (RSRS), Rail Gauge Adjustment System (RGAS), Shifting wheelset , Variable Gauge Rolling Truck , track gauge change and track change wheelset . Variable gauge axles help solve

2255-485: The standard gauge. Two gauge changes are installed on lines to France and at all entrances/exits leading between the high-speed network and older lines. There are also significant lengths of 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) secondary lines but these are not connected to the main network. In February 2004, RENFE placed orders for: There is also a 14.4 km (8.95 mi) circular test track in Spain. Variable gauge bogies are implemented on

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2310-551: The substantial increase in costs and power necessary to break the 300 km/h (186.4 mph) barrier, the AVE in Spain abandoned prospects of operating at speeds over 300 km/h (186.4 mph) in the short or medium term. It was forecast that the AVE would substantially replace air traffic on the Barcelona – Madrid route (in the same way that the Eurostar has on the London-Paris /London-Brussels routes and France's TGV has on

2365-498: The time, the company was a joint venture between the Italian state-owned railway company Trenitalia and the Spanish airline Air Nostrum . On 18 November 2021, ILSA revealed the Iryo brand at a public event held at Madrid Atocha railway station . According to Simone Gorini, ILSA's Chief Executive, the operator has a long term ambition to pursue a 30 percent market share on the routes that it

2420-401: The travelling public. The company's ambitions to expand its services have been aided by liberalisation reforms pursued by the Spanish railway infrastructure manager Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (ADIF), such as the introduction of scaleable track access charges that will be fairly applied to all operators, both the state-own RENFE and open-access operators such as Iryo, during

2475-633: The wagons or disconnect (and test) the brake equipment. Alternatively, as the train need not be uncoupled, the locomotive may pull the coupled carriages all together. See Talgo Gauge Changer. Steam locomotive are generally not gauge convertible on-the-fly. While diesel locomotives can be bogie exchanged, this is not normally done owing to the complexity in the reconnection of cables and hoses. In Australia, some locomotives are transferred between gauges. The transfer might happen every few months, but not for an individual trip. By 2004, variable gauge electric passenger locomotives were available from Talgo. It

2530-433: The way whilst the remainder of the train itself passes through. On the opposite side, a new locomotive of the other gauge will couple to the train. A Talgo train with a locomotive can drive across a gauge change at 1 axle per second at a speed of about 10–15 km/h (6.2–9.3 mph). A train (or an individual car) can be pushed halfway across the gauge-changer, uncoupled, and then (once far enough across) coupled to

2585-530: The wheels to be squeezed or stretched apart through a gauge-changer, after holding pins had been manually released. Railway operations over the Niagara Bridge were also complicated. In 1999, a gauge-changer was installed at Tornio at the Finnish end of the dual-gauge section between Haparanda and Tornio, for use with variable gauge freight wagons. The Tornio gauge changer is a Rafil design from Germany;

2640-509: Was at Dry Creek and was of a more automatic design. The Talgo RD design is even more automatic and efficient. A Talgo gauge changing facility is installed at Brest near the Belarusian-Polish border. It is used by Russian Railways ' fast trains connecting Moscow and Berlin. Orders for 7 Talgo VGA trainsets placed were placed in 2011. The trains under the brand " Strizh " are in service since 2016. Variable gauge axles were used for

2695-481: Was criticism during the construction of the Madrid-Barcelona line. A critical report by the consulting firm KPMG , commissioned by ADIF ( Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias ) at the behest of the Ministry for Public Works ( Ministerio de Fomento ) on 23 June 2004, pointed to a lack of in-depth studies and over-hasty execution of works as the most important reasons for the problems that dogged construction of

2750-529: Was delayed various times due to technical problems; the Ministerio de Fomento having originally forecast the AVE's arrival in Barcelona by the end of 2007. The complete line was opened February 2008. As of 2012, seventeen trains now run every day between the hours of 6 am and 9 pm, covering the distance between the two cities in just 2 hours 30 minutes for the direct trains, and in 3 hours and 10 minutes for those calling at all intermediate stations. Before

2805-423: Was later patented by – GB190601695 (A) of 1906. This system was improved again in patent GB190919655 (A) of 1909 by introducing a locking system acting on the wheel and axle rather than just the wheel rim. This provided a more effective grip where the wheel was free to move along the splined axle. In VGA, the train is pulled through the "adjuster" at about 15 km/h (9.3 mph) without any need to uncouple

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2860-445: Was replaced with level 1 of the new European ETCS/ERTMS system. On 16 October 2006 the trains on this line increased their operating speed to 280 km/h (174.0 mph). On 18 December 2006 the AVE started operating to Camp de Tarragona , and on 7 May 2007 the service increased its speed to the maximum allowable for the line, 300 km/h (186.4 mph). This puts Tarragona at 30 minutes from Lleida. The extension to Barcelona

2915-403: Was satisfactorily tested on 19 June 2019. The system, designed to allow operation on both Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway 's (MOB) 1000mm gauge line and BLS AG 1435mm gauge infrastructure, was first implemented on 11 December 2022. Moreover, while the gauge is being automatically changed at Zweisimmen, the air spring mounted on the bogie cross member is automatically adjusted by 200 mm to match

2970-530: Was tested from 1998 to 2006, including on the US High-speed Test Track in 2002. The second-generation train, intended to run at a maximum speed of 270 km/h (168 mph), was test-run in various locations in Japan between 2006 and 2013. A third-generation train has been undergoing reliability trials since 2014 in preparation for potential introduction to service on the planned Kyushu Shinkansen extension to Nagasaki. A gauge changing facility of

3025-491: Was using a test (non-commercial) trainset. Originally planned to open in 2009, the extension of some Madrid-Barcelona routes to Figueres–Vilafant railway station via Girona , opened on 9 January 2013. This made possible upon the completion of the 131-kilometre (81.4 mi) Barcelona- Figueres section of the Perpignan–Barcelona high-speed rail line that connected for the first time the Spanish AVE high-speed network with

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