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Voltage change at Bad Bentheim - how does it work?

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AlexNL

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For Aachen, they've been talking about it for at least 20 years and probably longer. And every time I hear about it again, it has been delayed again...
For Venlo, I'm not aware of any such plans.
With regards to Aachen, that is absolutely true. The latest I've heard for that is somewhere around 2030?

For Venlo, apparently it's still very much in the "ProRail would like to..." phase so it'll take a good number of years. See Forum - Ontwikkelingen Arriva - Somda and Het grote spoorwegentopic - deel 24 - Mobiliteit - GoT (tweakers.net) for some discussions about this (both in Dutch).
 
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MarcVD

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For Aachen, they've been talking about it for at least 20 years and probably longer. And every time I hear about it again, it has been delayed again...
This time it's for real. Planned for 2026 I think. That's why SNCB ordered the 24 HLE 17. Otherwise they don't have anything else still capable of running into Aachen.
 

AdamWW

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This time it's for real. Planned for 2026 I think. That's why SNCB ordered the 24 HLE 17. Otherwise they don't have anything else still capable of running into Aachen.

And appropriately enough, this has appeared today in the Brussels Times:

Until now, the local Welkenraedt-Aachen trains (about 20 kilometres) have been using the 'Belgian' 3,000 V, before the voltage change happens at the Aachen Hauptbahnhof.

However, the German rail network operator DB-Netz wants to change this "due to the age of the installations and the technical, operational and financial difficulties of maintaining the voltage change at this location." Discussions have been going on since 2019, although the initial German request was to change the system by 2024.
 

rvdborgt

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This time it's for real. Planned for 2026 I think. That's why SNCB ordered the 24 HLE 17. Otherwise they don't have anything else still capable of running into Aachen.
2026 might be the current hope. I thought I had already heard/seen even later years but I can't find anything back. I'm sure it will happen eventually but I'm not so sure when.
HLE 17 may operate to Germany but the plans to Germany are far from concrete and fixed. What is concrete is the plan to operate them on a Brussels - Breda - Rotterdam service, while a faster intercity service with IC NG will do Brussels - Amsterdam without calling at Brussels Airport and Breda.
 

jopsuk

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Thanks.

Most interesting.

One thing I don't understand though - surely the voltage has to be changed while the platform is occupied by coaches otherwisea train couldn't change locomotives? Can the signalling system tell whether there is a locomotive present or not?
Presumably for this the "occupation" is determined not by track circuits/axle counters, but whether there is a pantograph drawing power.
 

AdamWW

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Presumably for this the "occupation" is determined not by track circuits/axle counters, but whether there is a pantograph drawing power.

Maybe. But it can't be as simple as just looking to see what's going on at the platform, because as soon as the pantograph drops the locomotive would appear to vanish.

You'd have to somehow tell if the locomotive that entered the platform line had left, and I'm not sure how simple that would be.
 

XAM2175

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HLE 17 may operate to Germany but the plans to Germany are far from concrete and fixed. What is concrete is the plan to operate them on a Brussels - Breda - Rotterdam service, ...
Will that be with the NS ICRm stock or something different, do you know?
 

AlexNL

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Will that be with the NS ICRm stock or something different, do you know?
Will be with I11 stock, and an I11 cabcar leading the consist where necessary.

NMBS recently awarded a contract to Siemens to have I11 cab cars fitted with ETCS and the things necessary for NL and DE.
 

XAM2175

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Will be with I11 stock, and an I11 cabcar leading the consist where necessary.

NMBS recently awarded a contract to Siemens to have I11 cab cars fitted with ETCS and the things necessary for NL and DE.
Ah, grand. I've not been inside one but they certainly appear decent enough. Hopefully NMBS will have better luck with the HLE 17s than DB had with their 147s!
 

MarcVD

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Ah, grand. I've not been inside one but they certainly appear decent enough. Hopefully NMBS will have better luck with the HLE 17s than DB had with their 147s!
Let's not rejoice too fast, as SNCB once again ordered a loco that exists only on paper. Time will tell. But I agree with you that I11 stock is great, even if it is already 25 years old and would deserve a refurbishment.
 

Fireless

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Thanks.

Most interesting.

One thing I don't understand though - surely the voltage has to be changed while the platform is occupied by coaches otherwisea train couldn't change locomotives? Can the signalling system tell whether there is a locomotive present or not?
The signalling system (Siemens type Spurplan 60 relay interlocking) can only detect if the track section is occupied and is interlocked with the overhead switching equipment.

When the track sections beneath an electrical overhead section is empty, the voltage can be selected automatically by setting a route between an AC/DC only section and a switchable one.
Once any track section is occupied, the automatic switching is disabled and the voltage locked to the current system.

To change the voltage on an occupied section, the signaller can either select special programs for normal situations (e.g. Loco change) or control the switchgear manually.
Setting shunting routes into a track of the different system is also possible by operating the "Diesel loco button".
 
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