China Railway Rolling Stock Corp. (CRRC), the world’s number-one rolling stock manufacturer, announced on Oct. 21 that it has developed a prototype high-speed train with the capacity to change gauge widths on its car bogies (wheel-sets) in a matter of minutes. Given that differing track gauges are used around the world, this is not a minor issue for international transport, especially across the great Eurasian landmass.
According to Railway Gazette, CRRC Chairman Liu Hualong had announced its intention to develop a high-speed gauge-changing train at the 2017 Belt and Road Forum, with the aim of running trains more efficiently across the different gauges of Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Russia. Spain has been operating a fleet of trains with an adjustable wheelset and track change system for some years, but Railway Gazette explains that the Spanish adjustable bogies are stable only up to 250 km/h, while this new Chinese bogie design, based on a different mechanism, can be operated at up to 400 km/h.
