Thalys PBKA | |
---|---|
![]() Thalys PBKA at Eilendorf. | |
![]() Interior of Comfort (1st class) coach. | |
In service | 1998–present |
Manufacturer | GEC-Alsthom |
Family name | TGV |
Constructed | 1995–1998 |
Number built | 17 trainsets |
Formation | 2 power cars + 8 passenger cars |
Fleet numbers |
|
Capacity | 404 seats (120 first class, 284 second class) |
Operators | Eurostar |
Specifications | |
Train length | 200 m (656 ft 2 in) |
Maximum speed | 320 km/h (199 mph) (design) 300 km/h (186 mph) (service) |
Weight | 383 t (844,000 lb) |
Power output |
|
Electric system(s) | |
Current collector(s) | Pantograph |
Safety system(s) | ERTMS level 2, TVM-430, KVB, ATB |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
Thalys PBKA is a high-speed trainset, manufactured by the French company GEC-Alsthom, and used on the international Eurostar service. Originally built for Thalys (which later merged with Eurostar) they were intended to operate between Paris, Brussels, Köln (English: Cologne) and Amsterdam, forming the abbreviation PBKA. They were initially intended to be sole rolling stock of the service, but their extreme cost and complexity due to their quadri-current capability led the order of a simpler tri-current sister class, the Thalys PBA, a TGV Réseau derivative, with which they can work in multiple (coupled together).
The PBKA trains are quadri-current, capable of operating under the same systems as the PBA sets: 25 kV 50 Hz AC (France), 3,000 V DC (Belgium) and 1,500 V DC (the Netherlands and parts of France), but with the addition of 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC (Germany).
They are a member of Alstom's TGV family of trains. Each set has a power car on each end with three first class cars, a bar car, and four second class cars in between.[1] The trains are 200 m (656 ft 2 in) in length, weighing a total of 383 tonnes (844,000 lb) with 404 seats (120 first class, 284 second class).[2]
Their maximum speed in regular service is 300 km/h (186 mph) with 8,800 kW (11,801 hp) under 25 kV AC, 200 km/h (124 mph) with 5,160 kW (6,920 hp) under 15 kV AC, and 220 km/h (137 mph) with 3,680 kW (4,935 hp) under 1,500 or 3,000 V DC.[3][2]
Seventeen trains were ordered: nine purchased by National Railway Company of Belgium, two by Deutsche Bahn of Germany, six by SNCF of France and two by Nederlandse Spoorwegen.
Fleet details
[edit]Class | No. in Service | Year Built | Current Units | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Series 4300 | 17 | 1995–1998 | 4301–4307 (7) | Purchased by SNCB |
4321–4322 (2) | Purchased by DB | |||
4331–4332 (2) | Purchased by NS | |||
4341–4346 (6) | Purchased by SNCF |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Thalys Seat Plan" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-11-28.
- ^ a b "Eurostar shunters and trainsets". 2023-07-16. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
- ^ Alain Jeunesse and Michel Rollin (March 2004). "La motorisation du TGV POS" (in French). Retrieved 2007-07-04.
External links
[edit] Media related to TGV PBKA at Wikimedia Commons