New metro in Paris

1989/03/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Garraioak

Designers of the interior means of transport of large cities have two problems when increasing the capacity of the metro: the width of the tunnel and the length of the trains. Tunnel expansion is costly on the one hand. And on the other hand, it makes no sense that trains are longer than the station platforms.

This new train, called Boa, has a new design. The driving force of the train is given by two cars or bogies located at its ends. Conventional bogies have two pairs of fixed wheels of the same size. In this new design the pairs of wheels are not equal. The smallest couple can swing with the largest. It's like a tractor: small wheels drive and big wheels cause force.

In addition, the cars are shorter than conventional ones and go on two pairs of wheels instead of going on conventional four-wheel bogies. Therefore, it is possible to place the most extreme wheels in the wagon. According to the builders, the train will be able to catch the curves faster, but the ends of the wagons will not stand out so much in the curves.

More space for passengers will be earned at the connection points between cars.