WO2024102013A1

WO2024102013A1 - Coherent set of railway vehicles for a high-speed system

Info

Publication number: WO2024102013A1
Application number: PCT/PT2023/050041
Authority: WO
Inventors: José Maria CAMPOS DA SILVA ANDRÉ; José Manuel CARÉ BAPTISTA VIEGAS
Original assignee: Instituto Superior Técnico
Priority date: 2022-11-10
Filing date: 2023-11-06
Publication date: 2024-05-16

Abstract

The present invention relates to a set of railway vehicles for a high-speed system, the railway set comprising a receiving railway vehicle (1), a satellite railway vehicle (2) and a device for connecting the vehicles (1) and (2). The satellite railway vehicle (2) comprises a nose (6) and a door (16) arranged in the nose (6); the receiving railway vehicle (1) comprises a receiving opening (21) into which the nose (6) of the satellite railway vehicle (2) fits, a floor (11) and a transition section (15); and the connecting device comprises a male coupling in solidarity with a gangway (12) and a female coupling into which the male coupling fits, coupling the railway vehicles (1, 2). The invention is in the field of railway transport.

Description

DESCRIPTION

"COHERENT SET OF RAILWAY VEHICLES FOR A HIGH-SPEED SYSTEM"

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a coherent set of railway vehicles for a high-speed system, wherein the coherent set comprises a receiver railway vehicle , a railway shuttle and a device for coupling the receiver and the railway shuttle . The invention is in the field of railway transportation .

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Every stop of a high-speed train at a station produces a delay, typically between 8 and 10 minutes , as compared to its normal j ourney, depending on the braking characteristics , the time spent at the station and the acceleration to cruising speed . These delays at each stop prevent high-speed trains from conveniently serving secondary cities that are less than 100 km from the previous stop . For example , a Lisbon-Oporto train with stops in Santarem, Leiria, Coimbra and Aveiro ( i . e . , a stop approximately every 50 to 60 km) would take 30 to 40 minutes more time to make the j ourney between Lisbon and Oporto .

For this reason, secondary cities crossed by a high-speed line receive few services per day and end up benefiting little from that investment . On the other hand, the lack or scarcity of service to this potential market signi ficantly reduces the revenues of high-speed railway, the prospect of economic

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SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) equilibrium of the railway mode and, in addition, has negative impacts on territorial equity.

Patent application US 3552321 (A) , published on 05/01/1971, discloses railway vehicles that can detach from the receiving railway vehicle (1) and make complementary journeys on the road.

Patent application US 3037462, published on 06/05/1962, proposes a fleet of shuttles that are added to the front of the receiving railway vehicle (1) while other shuttles are left behind at secondary stations. The aim is to dispense with track switches between the main track and the diverted tracks, because all the vehicles would run on the same line. In this application, shuttles that are left behind a receiving railway vehicle (1) and stop at a secondary station are later picked up by the next receiving railway vehicle (1) , always on the same line. In this way, the receiving (1) railway vehicle accumulates new vehicles (shuttles) in front and successively loses the rear vehicles (shuttles that are left behind) . To stay on the train, passengers move from one vehicle to vehicle .

The aforementioned systems concern urban streetcars or relatively low-speed trains, since coupling and uncoupling vehicles to/from a train moving at high-speed raises more complex challenges, not covered in the aforementioned documents .

Patent application US 3508496(A) , published on 28/04/1970, addresses the difficulty of safely operating the railway switches needed for the shuttle leaving the longdistance train to move to a diverted track and for the shuttle coming from the diverted track to join the receiving railway

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SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) vehicle ( 1 ) . The proposed solution is to add two rails outside the normal rails . The receiving railway vehicle ( 1 ) only uses the inner rails , but the shuttles also have wheels with the gauge of the outer rails . When these wheels meet a section of outer track, they start rolling on it and, when the outer track rises on a gentle ramp, the shuttles also rise and follow a diverted track above the main line . Similarly, a shuttle coming from the deflected track, led by the wider gauge rails , descends on a gentle ramp until it rests on the inner line . From then on, it accelerates until it catches up with the long-distance train from behind and couples to it . The proposal is suggestive , but the ascent and descent of the shuttles is incompatible with the existence of an electrical power supply catenary above the track .

Patent application US 3728974 (A) , published on April 24 , 1973 , di f fers from the previous one in that the trains would be hung from a line supported on columns and the second pair of rails would not be placed on the outside of the track, but above the normal rails . The proposal would involve a radical change to the current lines and rol ling stock .

Patent application US 3848533 (A) , published on November 19 , 1974 , refers to train systems in large urban agglomerations ("mass transit" ) , operating at speeds of 80 mph ( approximately 130 km/h) , without any focus on aerodynamic issues related with the movement of the trains . In addition, by implying a very high turnover of cars , it forces passengers to make multiple changes from car to car, even after they are already travelling on the main track .

The US patent 10919548 (B2 ) , published on 16/ 02 /2021 , takes up the proposal of US 3037462 , for shuttles to be coupled at the front and uncoupled at the rear, with the

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SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) expectation that, with applying Scharfenberg couplings to high-speed trains, the coupling operation could be done with speed differences between 0.6 km/h and 35 km/h between the receiving railway vehicle (1) and the shuttle.

There is therefore a technical need to provide a coherent set of railway high-speed vehicles that makes it possible to have long-distance journeys compatible with the railway service to secondary cities, without stops of the main train to allow other passengers to board or disembark, or even the necessity of changing from car to car.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a set of railway vehicles for a high-speed system, the railway set comprising a receiving railway vehicle (1) , a railway shuttle (2) and a device for connecting the vehicles (1) and (2) . The railway shuttle (2) has a nose (6) to insert and a door (16) arranged in the nose (6) ; the receiving railway vehicle (1) has a receiving opening (21) into which the nose (6) of the railway shuttle (2) fits, a floor (11) and a transition section (15) ; and the coupling device comprises a male coupling (13) in conjunction with a gangway (12) and a female coupling (19) into which the male coupling (13) fits, coupling the railway vehicles (1, 2) , whereby said nose (6) of the railway shuttle (2) has a smaller gauge than the gauge of the receiving opening (21) of the receiving railway vehicle (1) ; and the male coupling (13) and the gangway (12) of the connecting device are arranged on one of the railway vehicles (1, 2) and the female coupling (19) is arranged on the other railway vehicle ( 2 , 1 ) .

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SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) Preferably, the male coupling (13) is a tongue, and the female coupling (19) is a groove where the tongue is inserted.

In one embodiment, the coupling device additionally comprises a tensioning mechanism.

In a preferred embodiment, said tensioning mechanism is integrated into the gangway (12) .

In a preferred embodiment, the male coupling (13) and the gangway (12) are arranged on the receiving vehicle (1) , the female coupling (19) being arranged on the railway shuttle (2) .

In a preferred embodiment, the transition section (15) is a set of curved sliding bars, and the door (16) has an upward- opening horizontal axis of rotation.

In a very preferred embodiment, the railway assembly further comprises a sealing ring (17) arranged on the inner perimeter of the receiving railway vehicle (1) .

Preferably, said sealing ring (17) is a pneumatic ring.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1 - Schematic representation, a) in elevation and b) in plan view, of a railway shuttle (2) coupled to a receiving railway vehicle (1) , both running on the same railway line (7) .

Figure 2 - Schematic representation of 11 positional relationships of a railway shuttle (2) and a receiving railway vehicle (1) , identified by the diagrams a) to k) .

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SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) Figure 3 - Schematic representation of a receiving (1) railway vehicle showing parts of the connecting device.

Figure 4 - Schematic representation of the connection between a receiving railway vehicle (1) and a railway shuttle (2) , where a) illustrates the gangway (12) in a central position, b) illustrates the gangway (12) with an angular shift and c) illustrates a transverse displacement of the gangway (12) relative to its central position.

Figure 5 - Schematic representation of the opening of the door (16) of the railway shuttle (2) after the coupling operation between the railway shuttle (2) and the receiving railway vehicle (1) is finished.

Figure 6 - Schematic representation of the coupling of vehicles (1) and (2) : a) in section and b) in plan view showing the gangway (12) comprising a coupling (13) which penetrates a slot in the railway shuttle (2) ; when the speed of the railway shuttle (2) is equal to that of the receiving railway vehicle (1) , in c) the coupling (13) is hold by the railway shuttle (2) and, in d) , gradually pulled into it; in e) and f ) , respectively a plan view and a vertical section, the coupling (13) is shown, in the form of a tongue, fully stretched, joining the two vehicles (1, 2) .

Figure 7 - Schematic representation of a preferred railway set of the invention, with the railway vehicles (1, 2) uncoupled, and illustrating a sealing ring (17) arranged on the receiving railway vehicle (1) and a contact area (18) (dashed line) on the railway shuttle (2) which will be in touch with the sealing ring (17) after coupling the two railway vehicles (1, 2) .

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SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a set of railway vehicles for a high-speed system, comprising a receiving railway vehicle, a railway shuttle and a device for connecting the receiving vehicles and railway shuttles.

The set of railway vehicles of the invention provides a very efficient solution for moving passengers between secondary cities not normally covered by high-speed systems.

The invention aims to solve the problem of the great distance between stations served by high-speed trains, allowing the few main stations to be directly served by the long-distance train and the intermediate stations to be served by shuttles that couple with the main train, as described below .

For passengers traveling between main stations, the time penalty for serving a secondary station with a shuttle is thus much lower than if the long-distance train had to stop at that secondary station.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a set of railway vehicles for a high-speed system, said railway set comprising a receiving railway vehicle (1) , a railway shuttle (2) and a device for connecting the vehicles (1) and (2) , characterized in that

- the railway shuttle (2) comprises a nose (6) and a door (16) arranged in said nose (6) ;

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SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) - the receiving railway vehicle (1) comprises a receiving opening (21) into which the nose (6) of the railway shuttle (2) fits, a floor (11) and a transition section (15) ; and

- the connecting device comprising a male coupling (13) in conjunction with a gangway (12) and a female coupling (19) into which the male coupling (13) fits, coupling the railway vehicles ( 1 , 2 ) , in which the said nose (6) for coupling the railway shuttle (2) has a smaller gauge than the gauge of the opening (21) for receiving the receiving railway vehicle (1) ; and the male coupling (13) and the gangway (12) of the connecting device are arranged on one of the (1, 2) railway vehicles and the female coupling (19) is arranged on the other (2, 1) railway vehicle.

The (1) and (2) railway vehicles form a coherent railway set because the rear of vehicle (1) and the nose of vehicle (2) are configured to couple (while traveling at the same speed on the main track) and uncouple in motion. In other words, the term "set of coherent railway vehicles" means that the two railway vehicles (1) and (2) are configured to be mutually coupled.

In the context of this description, the term "comprising" should be understood as "including but not limited to". As such, it should not be interpreted as "consisting only of".

In the context of this description, a "high-speed system" is defined as a railway vehicle or set of railway vehicles operating on new or conventional lines designed for a speed of

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SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) at least 250 km/h (European Court of Auditors, "A European high-speed rail network: not a reality but an ineffective patchwork", Special Report no. 19, 2018, p. 6, available at https : // www . eca . europa . eu/Lists/ECADocuments/ SRI 8_19/ SR_HIGH_S PEED_RAIL_EN.pdf) .

In the context of this description, the term "gauge" or "railway gauge" is synonymous with the length dimensions of the perimeter. In particular, the gauge of railway vehicles is the set of maximum dimensions of the cross-sectional envelope of the vehicles that ensure that they fit within the infrastructure gauge. The European Union has defined several sets of maximum dimensions for rolling stock and minimum dimensions for infrastructure. The version currently in force is Commission Regulation (EU) No 1299/2014 of November 18, 2014 "On the technical specifications for interoperability relating to the infrastructure subsystem of the rail system in the European Union" (document 02014R1299-20190616, available at http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2014/1299/2019-06-16, updated on May 16, 2019) .

In accordance with the present invention, the railway shuttle (2) comprises an aerodynamically streamlined nose (6) to prevent instability at high-speed.

In order for the nose (6) of the railway shuttle (2) to fit smoothly into the receiving opening (21) of the receiving vehicle (1) and ensure a safe transfer of passengers between these vehicles (1, 2) , the railway shuttle (2) must have a narrower and lower gauge than the gauge of the receiving vehicle (1) . The aforementioned reception opening (21) of the receiving vehicle (1) is located at the rear of the latter and, preferably, the reception opening (21) has an inverted

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SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) "U" section, in order to allow the aforementioned nose (6) of the railway shuttle (2) to penetrate and fit in.

As shown in Figure 1, the nose (6) of the railway shuttle (2) penetrates the receiving opening (21) of the receiving railway vehicle (1) and the two vehicles are connected by means of a linking device, traveling together for the duration of the passenger transfer between the two, seamlessly between them but with a certain degree of articulation and transverse movement that facilitates the insertion of the two trains in a curve. While the two vehicles (1) and (2) are traveling together, there is geometric continuity between the floor (8) of the railway shuttle (2) and the floor (11) of the receiving vehicle (1) . This continuity between the floors (8) and (11) is represented generically by dashed line (9) in figure 1 and represented in greater detail in other figures.

Also in figure 1, the continuity of the decks of vehicle (1) and vehicle (2) is represented by the dashed line labelled with reference number (9) .

Figure 3 details one of the parts of the connecting device, illustrating a gangway (12) supported by the receiving vehicle (1) and a transition section (15) , which can be implemented, for example, as a set or bundle of curved bars, which slide on a base surface (20) . This base surface (20) is in a plane slightly below the floor (11) of the receiving vehicle (1) , so that the elements of the transition section (15) , when they slide past each other, provide a continuous floor surface between the gangway (12) of the connecting device and the floor (11) of the receiving railway vehicle (1) without originating stresses between said elements (11) and (12) .

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SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) Figure 6 illustrates a gangway (12) comprising a male coupling (13) , such as a semi-rigid coupling, which penetrates a complementary female coupling (19) , such as a slot, present on the railway shuttle (2) . When the speed of the railway shuttle (2) is equal to that of the receiving railway vehicle (1) , the male coupling (13) is gradually pulled by a tensioning mechanism (not shown in the figures) integrated in the gangway (12) , until a flexible but firm coupling between both vehicles (1) and (2) is produced. The male coupling (13) is fully stretched when coupling is complete, joining the two vehicles (1) and (2) , as shown in Figure 6. Preferably, the male coupling (13) is a tongue, but other designs for the male coupling (13) can be devised by the person skilled in the art, such as a spigot or a similar device.

It should be noted that as the male coupling (13) has a protruding, potentially dangerous tip, it is preferable that, when not in use for coupling, it is retracted into the gangway

(12) of vehicle (1) . In this way, during coupling between vehicles (1, 2) , the male coupling (13) , which is otherwise retracted into the gangway (12) , is pushed out of the gangway when vehicle (2) is approaching, and then penetrates the female coupling (19) of that vehicle (2) and, once engagement of the end couplings (13, 19) is performed, the male coupling

(13) is pulled by the tensioning mechanism installed in the gangway (12) on vehicle (1) until it reaches the desired level of tension.

For constructive and aerodynamic reasons, it is preferred that the male coupling (13) and the gangway (12) of the connecting device are arranged on the receiving vehicle (1) and the female coupling (19) on the railway shuttle (2) . However, in an alternative design, these elements are arranged in the opposite way, i.e. the male coupling (13) and the

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SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) gangway (12) on the railway shuttle (2) and the female coupling (19) on the receiving vehicle (1) .

Referring to Figure 5, it can be seen that when the two vehicles (1) and (2) travel coupled, the floor (8) of the railway shuttle (2) is attached to the coupling (13) at the rear end of the gangway (12) and the front end (14) of the gangway (12) is connected to the transition section (15) , with the section (15) resting on a base surface (20) of the receiving railway vehicle (1) .

When the two vehicles (1) and (2) are coupled, the rear end of the gangway (12) is attached to the nose (6) of the railway shuttle (2) by means of the coupling (13) . Therefore there are no steps or gaps between the floor (8) of the railway shuttle (2) and the floor (11) of the receiving vehicle (1) . Similarly, there are no steps or gaps between the floor of the gangway (12) and the upper face of the transition section (15) , because both have the same height and both rest on the same base surface (20) of the receiving railway vehicle (1) •

Once the railway shuttle (2) is coupled, the door (16) on the nose (6) of the railway shuttle (2) can be opened to allow passengers move between the railway shuttle (2) and the receiving railway vehicle (1) . The channel opened by the door (16) through the nose (6) of the railway shuttle (2) is wide enough for passengers to pass through comfortably, including passengers in wheelchairs. Preferably, the door (16) opens upwards with a horizontal axis of rotation.

However, the person skilled in the art will understand that other means of opening said door (16) are possible within the scope of the present invention, namely a sliding opening,

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SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) upwards or sideways, with the door retracting into the interior of the railway shuttle (2) . Other more conventional opening means can also be used, such as a lateral door opening at an inclined axis, taking into account the possible tapered or conical shape of the nose (6) in which the door (16) is arranged .

In a preferred embodiment, illustrated in Figure 7, there is a sealing ring (17) , such as an air-filled ring, on the inside perimeter of the receiving railway vehicle (1) . The sealing ring (17) has the function of sealing the space between the railway shuttle (2) and the receiving railway vehicle (1) , preventing, for example, draughts that could disturb passengers and raise dust inside the passenger compartment. In addition to the aforementioned pneumatic ring, there are other possible designs for the sealing ring (17) , such as flexible foam or elastomer elements, arranged in a ring that the railway shuttle (2) can lean against.

Figure 7 also shows an area (18) on the railway shuttle (2) , with which the sealing ring (17) will come into contact after the vehicles (1, 2) have been coupled. As can be seen, the door (16) of the railway shuttle (2) is interior to this contact area (18) , so that the door can be opened inside the receiving vehicle (1) after coupling, while maintaining the train insulated from the outside environment. Naturally, the shape and gauge of the nose (6) are dimensioned in such a way as to make it possible not only to fit it into the receiving opening (21) of the receiving vehicle (1) , but also to subsequently open the door (16) safely, keeping the space isolated from the outside environment. To this effect, the nose gauge (6) is necessarily smaller than the gauge of the receiving railway vehicle (1) and, in particular, smaller than

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SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) the gauge of the opening (21) of the receiving railway vehicle

(1) •

When the receiving vehicle (1) is parked or runs without the railway shuttle (2) attached (except for the moments shortly before and after such joint movement) , it is important to ensure that the receiving opening (21) of the receiving railway vehicle (1) is closed, for anti-theft and vandalism safety when parked and to avoid turbulence and suspended debris when running without the railway shuttle (2) . A suitable solution in terms of efficiency and robustness is, for example, the use of a sliding door on side guides, with an open position horizontally, just below the top surface of the receiving vehicle (1) , and a closed position vertically in the area of the slot through which the railway shuttle (2) is coupled. Other options for closing the opening (21) for receiving the receiving railway vehicle (1) will be available to the specialist in the field.

A speed control system for vehicles (1) and (2) of the railway set of the invention, either separately or when coupled, will be able to adjust the speed taking into account the track conditions, the distance between stations deserved by the indirect service, the time actually spent transferring passengers and the commercial policy of the operator.

The set of coherent railway vehicles of the invention comprises each railway shuttle (2) boarding passengers at a station at time To and disembarking passengers at the next station at time T2; meanwhile, at time Ti, the passengers from the second station, who want to travel in the same receiving railway vehicle (1) , did board in another railway shuttle (2) . Each intermediate station requires an additional railway shuttle (2) , but the same set of railway shuttles can provide

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SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) service (with a slip station along the line) to the next receiving railway vehicle (1) , provided that the interval between these consecutive long-distance services is not less than about 30 minutes, so as to allow the journeys of the railway shuttle (2) from the first station to the receiving railway vehicle (1) and from it to the second station, the disembark and embark of passengers and a quick cleaning operation .

Referring to Figure 2, it shows, by way of example, 11 positional relationships of a railway shuttle (2) and a receiving railway vehicle (1) , which are identified in Figure 2 by drawings a) to k) .

For the purposes of describing Figure 2, two reference speeds mentioned in the text below are defined: the first reference speed, vi, is the maximum speed allowed by the track and the vehicles participating in this process, and the second reference speed, V2, is slightly lower than vi, to allow a vehicle traveling at speed vi behind another vehicle at speed V2 to approach it in an acceptably short time.

The 11 positional relationships described below are: a) The receiving railway vehicle (1) passes on the main line; the railway shuttle (2) leaves the station (4) taking the passengers who are to board the vehicle (1) • b) The receiving railway vehicle (1) approaches the switch on the main track and the railway shuttle (2) approaches that switch from the diverted track in order to arrive there with the minimum delay, dictated by safety reasons, necessary to carry out the change of position of the switch with an allowance for

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SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) vehicle (2) to stop if the switch did not reach the correct position. c) When passing the switch, the delay of the railway shuttle (2) with respect to the receiving railway vehicle (1) may be of the order of 40 seconds. d) Vehicles (1) and (2) run on the main track. The receiving railway vehicle (1) maintains the second reference speed (adopted since it passed the switch) and the railway shuttle (2) accelerates to the first reference speed and maintains it until it is at a distance sufficiently short to start decelerating for contact . e) Near the receiving railway vehicle (1) , the railway shuttle (2) decelerates to the speed of the receiving railway vehicle (1) and soft contact and coupling takes place, f) The receiving railway vehicle (1) and the railway shuttle (2) are now traveling together at the same speed. The train set accelerates to the reference speed of the receiving railway vehicle (1) on the section of track on which they are traveling. The passenger transfer process begins, first the passengers who have boarded at the station (4) pass from the railway shuttle (2) to the receiving railway vehicle (1) ; then the passengers who are to disembark at the next station (5) pass from the receiving railway vehicle (1) to the railway vehicle (2) . g) Once the transfer of passengers is completed, vehicles (1) and (2) separate, the receiving railway vehicle

(1) continues at full speed and the railway shuttle

(2) decelerates. h) The railway shuttle (2) arrives at the switch at the appropriate speed to leave the main track, with a time difference in relation to the passage of the receiving

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SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) railway vehicle (1) necessary for the safe change of position of the switch. i) The railway shuttle (2) is heading towards the station (5) . In the meantime, another railway shuttle (3) boards the passengers destined for the receiving railway vehicle (1) . j) Vehicle (3) leaves the station (5) to join the receiving railway vehicle (1) . The railway shuttle (2) approaches the station (5) . k) The railway shuttle (2) disembarks the passengers coming from the receiving railway vehicle (1) at station (5) , while vehicle (3) goes to meet the receiving railway vehicle (1) , in a process identical to that described above for the railway shuttle (2) in diagrams b) to f) .

Simulations based on a first reference (cruising) speed of Vi = 300 km/h on the main track and a second reference speed of V2 = 250 km/h for passing switches and running to the receiving railway vehicle (1) from that point until the coupling operation is completed, produced estimates of less than 2 minutes for the delay of the main train in each operation to bring passengers from a secondary station.

After passing the switch through which the railway shuttle enters the main track, the receiving railway vehicle (1) travels at speed V2 (second reference speed) to be caught up by the railway shuttle approaching it at a higher speed. Once the coupling is complete, the main train can accelerate again, until it reaches speed Vi (first reference speed) .

Once the transfer of passenger is completed, decoupling takes place: the receiving railway vehicle (1) continues at its cruising speed Vi and the railway shuttle slows down,

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SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) lagging behind the receiving railway vehicle ( 1 ) and leaving the main track at the next switch .

For this same speed scenario , the railway shuttle ' s travel time , since it leaves the station until it starts trans ferring passengers , is around 8 minutes , and the distance between an entry switch and the next exit switch of the railway shuttle on the main track cannot be less than 41 km, which is easily compatible with deserving consecutive stations distant around 50 km .

Naturally, these distances can be lower, either when the Vi cruising speed is lower than 300 km/h, as considered here , or when services are to be of fered to consecutive stations with a shorter distance between them, for which the second reference speed must be reduced, and some impact accepted in the delay of the receiving railway vehicle ( 1 ) .

The configuration of the receiving railway vehicle ( 1 ) described above is asymmetrical : its front end is an aerodynamically streamlined nose and the rear end has a receiving opening ( 21 ) to receive the railway shuttle ( 2 ) .

The present invention has several advantages , such as those listed below :

- The use of railway shuttles operating in conj unction with receiving railway vehicles allows high-speed systems to deserve secondary towns without hindering long-distance j ourneys .

In addition to gains in territorial equity - with implications for popular acceptance and the speed and smoothness of the political approval of new railway proj ects - it is possible to include additional parts of the territory

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SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) and population in the new accessibility paradigms , with advantages of productivity and economic growth .

Given these strong improvements in accessibility, signi ficant increases are to be expected in the market share of the rail mode for medium and long-distance j ourneys shi fting passengers from the road - as well as a general induction of mobility over these distances , which can lead to gains in economic ef ficiency and quality of li fe , a reduction of road accidents , of emissions and congestion .

The construction of the high-speed line itself benefits , because it can take advantage of a more direct right of way or a route that is more economically built , without having to pull it closer to important urban areas .

- On its way of f the main line , a railway shuttle can stop at more than one location and at several places in a large city, or it can proceed on another line . The service of the railway shuttle to the stations on these tributary lines of the main line can be done in the same fashion of the traditional services , with successive stops at selected stations , so that the aggregate demand be within the limits of the shuttles ' capacity ( limited by their si ze and the time needed to exchange passengers to/ from the receiving high-speed train and the coupling/decoupling operation on the main line , as described here . )

It should be noted that although the present invention has been described with reference to its preferred forms of reali zation, many modi fications and alternatives can be made by a person skilled in the art without leaving the scope of the invention, as defined by the claims .

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SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26)

Claims

CLAIMS Coherent set of railway vehicles for a high-speed system, comprising a receiving railway vehicle (1) , a railway shuttle (2) and a device connecting the vehicles (1) and (2) , characterized by the railway shuttle (2) comprises a nose (6) and a door (16) arranged in said nose (6) ;

• the receiving railway vehicle (1) comprises a receiving opening (21) into which the nose (6) of the railway shuttle (2) fits, a floor (11) and a transition section (15) ; and

• the connecting device comprising a male coupling (13) in conjunction with a gangway (12) and a female coupling (19) into which the male coupling (13) fits, coupling the railway vehicles (1, 2) , in which

• the said nose (6) for coupling the railway shuttle (2) has a smaller gauge than the gauge of the opening (21) for receiving the receiving railway vehicle (1) ; and

• the male coupling (13) and the gangway (12) of the connecting device are arranged on one of the (1, 2) railway vehicles and the female coupling (19) is arranged on the other (2, 1) railway vehicle. Coherent set of railway vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the male coupling (13) is a tongue and the female coupling (19) is a groove where the tongue is inserted.

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SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) Coherent set of railway vehicles according to claim 1, characterizedin that the connecting device additionally comprises a tensioning mechanism. Coherent set of railway vehicles according to claim 3, characterized in that said tensioning mechanism is integrated into the gangway (12) . Coherent set of railway vehicles according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the male coupling (13) and the gangway (12) are arranged on the receiving vehicle (1) and the female coupling (19) being arranged on the railway shuttle (2) . Coherent set of railway vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the transition section (15) is a set of curved sliding bars. Coherent set of railway vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the door (16) has an upward opening horizontal rotation axis. Coherent set of railway vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a sealing ring (17) on the inner perimeter of the receiving railway vehicle ( 1 ) . Coherent set of railway vehicles according to claim 8, characterized in that said sealing ring (17) is an air ring .

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SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26)