Making trains smarter: how Alstom’s components are changing the game

Hidden in the heart of every train lie a certain number of parts vital for rolling stock efficiency. These systems and components, which Alstom designs, manufactures or develops with suppliers using a build-to-print approach, are the result of substantial investment in research and development (R&D) and collaboration with customers, academic organisations and other industry players. This spirit of cooperation and customer intimacy is key in order for Alstom to offer attractive products which respond exactly to the ever-evolving needs of rolling stock owners, operators, maintainers and passengers – as the Group strives to deliver solutions which bring cost-effectiveness, comfort, reliability, serviceability and sustainability to the next level.

“By designing components in a smarter way, we can boost the overall performance of our trains. Our advanced solutions and evolutionary improvements help build rolling stock that is more efficient, more sustainable, easier to operate and maintain, and more comfortable for our passengers. Our activities in the field of smart components are centred on three pillars: smart design, smart technologies and smart solutions for passengers.”
Bart Vantorre, Vice-President Components at Alstom

Components that are smart by design aim to bring optimisations on various levels, including lifecycle cost (through mechanical product compactness or weight reductions), operations and maintenance (through safe and secure onboard train control systems), and passenger flow (through modularity of interiors).

“With Flexx Eco™, for instance, we turned the conventional bogie architecture inside out! This smart design involves a narrower bogie, with the wheels accommodated on the outside of the frame instead of within it. This smart solution leads to a lighter frame and a more compact bogie,” explains Heiko Mannsbarth, Head of Bogies & Drives at Alstom.  

“This approach optimises our customer’s total cost of ownership, not only through the lower energy consumption achieved by the significant reduction in weight, but also through savings on repair costs, as the bogie’s low unsprung mass reduces track and wheel wear.”
Heiko Mannsbarth, Head of Bogies & Drives at Alstom

“This approach optimises our customer’s total cost of ownership, not only through the lower energy consumption achieved by the significant reduction in weight, but also through savings on repair costs, as the bogie’s low unsprung mass reduces track and wheel wear. Additionally, accessibility to parts – such as brake pads and brake discs – has been greatly improved for faster replacement times, and therefore less costly maintenance interventions. This translates into savings of up to 25% on lifecycle costs.”

To date, more than 10,000 Flexx Eco bogies have been sold by Alstom to 20 metro, commuter and high-speed customers worldwide. An interesting point is that inboard bearing bogies can be covered, due to their small space envelope, leading to further benefits in high-speed applications, as this reduces the air drag and thereby allows for energy savings.

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