In the final analysis, the essence of EMU is just a mode of transportation. Since 1960s and 1970s, Japanese railways have gradually replaced locomotive traction mode with EMU mode. Up to now, except for some night sleeper trains, passenger trains range from Shinkansen with a speed of 300 kilometers per hour to local railways with a speed of less than 100 kilometers per hour, from long-distance express trains with a journey of thousands of kilometers to commuter trains with a journey of dozens of kilometers. Diesel-EMU almost dominates the world, and these trains with great differences in speed, configuration and grade belong to "EMU". Similarly, on the one hand, there are many high-speed trains with locomotive traction mode (we call them "trains") in European railways (IC225 and Railjet are actually push-pull trains, which are difficult to accurately determine between traditional locomotive traction trains and "EMUs"), on the other hand, there are also a large number of small-group commuter EMUs similar to German railways. Once we return to the essence of "EMU", the view that "EMU is not necessary for ordinary trains" is obviously untenable-there is no mandatory requirement that EMU must be very tall.
What are the advantages of centralized EMU with speed 160 km/h compared with existing locomotive traction trains?
As mentioned above, EMUs are not necessarily linked to high-speed and high-grade, so the cost of 160 km/h power concentrated EMUs (hereinafter referred to as 160 EMUs) can still be controlled within a reasonable range, and may not even be much higher than the whole train cost of the existing HXD quasi-high-speed locomotive +25T passenger car at the same speed level, which can also avoid running CRH EMUs/kloc with higher cost.
At present, there are two main operation modes of 160 EMU, one is the push-pull operation of single-ended locomotives with short marshalling, and the other is the push-pull operation of double locomotives before and after long marshalling. The latter is easier to understand. In fact, TGV, ICE- 1 and other high-speed trains are also the modes of two locomotives. The former is slightly more complicated. It can be a single-ended locomotive pulling the train, just like the traditional "train", but when the train changes direction, the train will be at the rear of the train. At this time, the driver will jointly control the locomotive at the rear through the control car at the other end of the train (which can be understood as a locomotive with cab but no power). The train is driven by the locomotive at the rear, so it is called "push-pull train" (English intuitively calls this kind of train "push-pull train"). This is the biggest difference between 160 moving sleeper group and old locomotive traction train. No matter whether it's double locomotive traction or push-pull operation, the 160 moving sleeper group can quickly realize the train reversing and turning back without knowing the establishment. In the past, ordinary trains had to pick up trailers for reversing and turning back (in short, after the train entered the station, the locomotives were unhooked and transferred to the other end of the train through the machine for reconnection) 160 EMU can save the time of traditional train reversing and turning back, and there is no need to pick up the carriages, just like Moreover, the whole train operation means that there is no need to change the trailer (the traditional train has the problem of locomotive routing), which saves the whole time and improves the efficiency of platform pick-up and departure.
In addition, 160 EMU, as a kind of EMU, is rarely disassembled in daily use, and can be put into the depot for maintenance like CRH EMU, instead of being disassembled and sent back to the depot and depot for maintenance like traditional trains, which can simplify the maintenance process; At the same time, compared with CRH EMU, 160 EMU has the advantage of flexible grouping, and the number of intermediate trailers (buses) can be appropriately increased or decreased when necessary to adapt to the change of passenger flow. However, the CRH EMU with decentralized power can't be disconnected under normal operating conditions, because it can't destroy the setting of power devices.
160 animation is really that good?
Obviously not. 160 EMU has the same speed grade as the existing Z-prefix quasi-high-speed train. Although push-pull operation mode and non-decoupling operation mode can save some time for reversing and shifting, and the start-stop acceleration of double locomotives will be slightly better than that of traditional trains, after all, the speed has not improved, which can save some time for the whole journey, but it may not be much.
Compared with traditional trains, the 160 EMU has improved in comfort and riding environment, but it is hard to say to what extent this improvement can be achieved. Judging from the current news, it seems that the intermediate trailer of 160 EMU is still developed on the basis of 25T passenger cars. Perhaps it has absorbed some characteristics of CRH EMU internally, and it remains to be seen whether there is a problem of "changing the soup without changing the medicine".
160 EMU traction locomotive is developed on the basis of Harmony high-power electric locomotive. At present, the specific performance parameters are not completely clear, but it seems to be dwarfed by foreign high-power electric locomotives. HXD 1G high-speed locomotive with a speed of 200 kilometers per hour is 8-axle fixed reconnection (Bo-Bo+Bo-Bo), with total power 1 1200kW and single-axle power1400 kW; ; However, compared with the design of Siemens ES64 universal (passenger and freight) electric locomotive with 4 axles (bo-bo) of 6400 kW and single axle power 1600kW (the highest test speed of the latter is 357km/h, and the highest test speed of German Federal Railway ic train and Austrian Railjet train is 230km/h), the poor adhesion utilization restricts the improvement of single axle power to include HX. The locomotive performance is so good that the performance of 160 moving parts may not reach the level of similar foreign trains.
Most importantly, the positioning of 160 dynamic set is not clear. On the surface, 160 moving sleeper group was born to improve the technical level of locomotives and rolling stock and the riding environment of general-speed railway at the same time, but in fact, 160 moving sleeper group was accompanied by the question of "grabbing money" from the day it was born. As mentioned above, the speed and riding environment of 160 EMU are not necessarily improved by leaps and bounds compared with the existing 25T passenger cars. However, the 160 EMU is likely to implement a different fare policy from the existing general-speed trains. To put it bluntly, it is likely to increase prices. Under the current fare system, the fares of the K train of 120, the T train of 140 and the Z train of 160 are the same, so it is impossible to widen the gap. After adjusting the benchmark fare rate of express trains and adding items such as air conditioning fees and acceleration fees (when the local express trains and local trains are upgraded to K/T/Z), the general speed trains will be reduced. Ordinary-speed railway passenger transport has been in a state of loss for a long time, and it is impossible for the railway department to bear this kind of "speed increase without price increase" for a long time. However, the price increase of ordinary-speed trains will inevitably lead to the argument of "ignoring the travel needs of low-and middle-income people", which makes it difficult to adjust the fares of ordinary-speed trains greatly (it seems that there are rumors that the fares of soft seats and soft sleepers should be released, while the hard seats and hard sleepers remain unchanged, because the former is not the "just need" of low-income people, and there is less social controversy). Then, what if we find another way to launch a "new product" like "power centralized EMU"? Is this "new product" going to have a completely different fare? The general public is confused and has no energy to understand the mystery behind it. They will only think that the EMU is a tall thing. Will the "power-concentrated EMU" painted like CRH EMU make unsuspecting passengers feel "money well spent"? These problems can be imagined. Of course, we can also think about it. In recent years, CRH EMUs are in short supply, and the EMUs manufacturers under CRRC certainly benefit from it. Traditional rolling stock factories such as Puzhen and Zhuji are somewhat embarrassed. Did the launch of 160 EMU at this time also give these rolling stock factories a new market? These problems can also be thought of.
To sum up, the evaluation of 160 dynamic set is:
Not redundant and unnecessary.
It does have certain performance advantages.
Don't take this advantage too seriously.
Of course, the railway department did not launch this kind of thing for charity.