THE DURATION TEST OF THE NEW METRO TRAIN HAVE COMMENCED ON METRO LINE 4

The duration tests of the prototype of the METROPOLIS trains to be manufactured for Metro Line 4 have begun on the section of the new metro line between Kelenföldi pályaudvar and Móricz Zsigmond körtér, which was completed and tested in November last year. Following the successful tests conducted last week, the actual duration tests could commence in order that Alstom obtain the final type licence for the vehicle by the February 2013 deadline it undertook, and to prove the new vehicle will reliably operate on the new metro line in accordance with the requirements laid down by the National Transport Authority.

“We took over both the construction of the tunnel and the management of the contracts for the manufacture of the metro trains in the final hour,” said vice-mayor Balázs Szeneczey in charge of city development at the testing of the Metropolis train to run on Metro Line 4. The new city leadership inherited a massive debt, a vehicle fleet neglected for decades, a disorganized and wasteful BKV and, last but not least, a badly organized metro construction in 2010. Gábor Demszky and Csaba Horváth, who as Cabinet Commissioner for Budapest transport promised free public transport, left behind a veritable bankruptcy in the area of transport, stated the vice-mayor. By way of major step, Budapest has now come closer to the objective of handover, which was for many years regarded as at least doubtful.

In accordance with the agreement in July 2011, Alstom transported the prototype train for Line M4 manufactured in Katowice to the test track at Valenciennes, France, in August 2012 in order that type testing could begin under the schedule laid down together with BKV and the National Transport Authority on the test track meeting international standards. After completing the tests in France, the vehicle was transported to the BKV depot on Fehér út, Budapest, where new tests were conducted on it.

In the course of these special tests, Alstom’s experts examined 54 parameters of the train. Among others, over 1,000 measurements of braking effects and braking distance were taken at various load and speed levels, in certain cases at speeds exceeding the 90 kph limit or with extremely high loads of 8 passengers per sq metre, for which 90 tonnes of weight were placed in the cars. Besides these, the accelerating capacity of the train was also measured, the proper functioning of the obstacle detection systems, the doors, the air-conditioning; the functioning of the vehicle in extraordinary operational conditions (e.g. short circuit, coupling break, decoupling, and rapid voltage leap), and the features of passenger comfort were also examined, such as internal and external noise levels, and travel comfort.

Earlier on, the first complete section of Line M4 between Kelenföldi pályaudvar and Móricz Zsigmond körtér was also tested: first a Soviet train, then an M2 Metropolis train ran the track. After this, still in December 2012, the M4 prototype vehicle was transported over to the new, modern depot of Line M4 in order that experts examine it in its place of operation.

By the time the duration are over, the prototype vehicle will have been examined in the course of 3,000 work hours through the cooperation of 12 testing engineers and 8 designer engineers. All this as well as the fact that the Metropolis trains delivered for M2 have preformed some 150,000 km in passenger operation prove the suitability of the new vehicle.

Apart from the prototype train, the manufacture of three other trains has been started, thus Alstom, after obtaining the final type licence, will uninterruptedly deliver the serial trains from spring 2013. These will then be subjected to new tests, but this time the entire M4 system will be examined, including the signalling system and other equipment, so that the Budapest public can take possession of the new line, M4, in the first half of 2014.

Budapest Municipality
Budapest Transport Centre (BKK)
DBR Metro Project Directorate
ALSTOM Transport