Tilt Train Technology
With the Sydney to Canberra high-speed rail link being proposed, PopSci takes a look at the technology of the tilt train
The NSW Government is thinking about building a high-speed rail line from Sydney to Canberra. Now, don’t get us wrong, this might not utilize a tilt train. In fact, if it includes building all new rail lines, it is a distinct possibility that a tilt train wont be used. However, the idea behind the tilt train is one of the more fascinating aspects of rail, so we’ve had a quick look to find out just how it works.
Moving objects that tilt while cornering, such as bikes or aeroplanes, have a lower centre of gravity and therefore can take corner with increased speeds. Having a lower centre of gravity basically means the weight in the object sits lower down, preventing the object from toppling over. Trains and cars generally are not able to tilt, so roads and railways are often built with a slight canter around corners to allow them to tilt. Think oval race tracks for example. Generally, the higher the speed you wish to carry through the corner, the higher the banking of the surface, or the angle of tilt, required to make it happen.
In terms of rail, the idea of the tilt train came around in the 60s, born from a desire to create high-speed rail while using original, non-banked railways. While banking the railways was thought of as a possibility, the problem was that slower trains sharing the line (such as freight trains or local all-stops services) would possibly topple over around the corners while travelling at their slower speeds, such was the banking required for true high-speed rail services. This brought about the idea to tilt the train itself.
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Comments
Wasn't aware that Australia had a tilt train in service, although given the service record it probably wasn't a good thing to be aware of in the first place!
I've always wanted to travel on the TGV and do the long haul from France to Britain (think that's one end to the other of the line). Japan would be another place to go and do another long train trip from one end to the other.
0 out of 1 people found this comment helpfulTGV doesn't actually operate on that route, the Eurostar does. It's a pretty quick train too though. You can go a lot further than from London to Paris. That's only a 2.5 hour trip. You can travel a fair bit longer... wouldn't exactly know how much longer though.
0 out of 0 people found this comment helpfulSomething I'll have to look into later on. I remember travelling on the Eurostar when I was like 10 or something from Rome to Venice. Not a very long trip but nice scenary.
0 out of 0 people found this comment helpfulI very much doubt that the interior doesn't tilt with the rest of the carriage. The fact is that the passengers would normally be pushed to the outside of the curve by the centrifugal force and the carriage tilt actually counteracts this force and gives the passengers less sensation of turning around the bend.
I would be surprised if there was a tendency for passengers to suffer from nausea due to the tilting action.
Mal
0 out of 0 people found this comment helpfulWe were surprised too Mal, but those are the facts. I've never been on a tilt train myself, just the Eurostar and TGV, but there have been multiple reports of nausea on tilt trains. The APT (Advanced Passenger Train) in England was perhaps the most prominent case.
Welcome to PopSci.com.au by the way!
0 out of 0 people found this comment helpful