Principle
Double-decked stock can accomodate 20-40% more seats per train length than
single-decked stock. Double-decked train design is today a standard solution for
many operation types including regional and suburban trains and more recently
high-speed trains. Today, mature and well-experienced concepts for double-decked
vehicles exist for all classes of passenger operation.
The height over rail is increased to 4600-4700 mm as opposed to less than
4000 mm for conventional stock. The weight increase has to be minimised in order
to limit axle load. Therefore double-decked train design is usually combined
with strong efforts to reduce weight. For instance, the TGV Duplex has aluminium
bodies in contrast to steel construction in single-decked TGVs.
Examples
In suburban and regional transport, double-decked trains have become a
standard option in today's railways. The examples for double-decked main line or
high-speed stock are more limited:
- TGV Duplex
- Shinkansen E1.
- IC 2000
Infrastructural compatibility
The infrastructure compatibility of double-decked stock is limited but
generally higher than for wide-body stock. However, many tunnels pose serious
problems. |