Russian Railways has been granted Eurasian Patent No. 052433 for a new traction unit designed for the next-generation of high-speed electric trains. This technology is intended for rolling stock capable of operating at speeds of up to 400 km/h and was engineered for use on railway sections powered by both direct and alternating current.

The core innovation lies in the optimized configuration of a four-car traction unit with two motor cars and two trailer cars. Due to a carefully thought-out equipment layout (where the traction transformer is placed in the central trailer car between the two motor cars, and the braking resistor unit is stored in a separate car at the edge of the section) engineers were able to reduce the overall weight and significantly lower axle loads. This directly decreases rolling resistance and enhances the train’s acceleration performance.

The new traction unit addresses braking issues on all types of rail infrastructure: in addition to conventional regenerative braking (feeding energy back into the power grid), it incorporates braking resistors. This enables effective speed reduction on direct current sections, where energy recuperation is impossible, through conversion of the excess electrical energy into heat energy.

The solution is aimed at innovative rolling stock with high specific power and enhanced functional capabilities for high-speed rail networks.

Photo by Russian Railways