This summer, TMH, one of the leading builders of metro trains, delivered the first Minsk 2024 metro train to capital of Belarus. The train is now being run in, and the Minsk Metro expects to have six trains of four cars by late 2024.
Whether it is the Minsk 2024 itself or its development, production or delivery, it is clear that TMH has made the comfort of the customer, operator or passenger a priority. Such an approach gives the Russian company significant advantages in the global metro market.
From past to the Minsk 2024
The long history of cooperation between Minsk Metro and today’s TMH plant in Mytishchi began in 1984, when the underground network of the Belarusian capital was opened. Its fleet consists of over 200 cars manufactured by the plant between 1983 and 2014. Now, in the year of Minsk Metro’s fortieth anniversary, the latest trains are arriving at residents’ disposal.
TMH developed the Minsk 2024, or the 81-765.7/766.7, according to the technical specifications of Minsk Metro. The cars feature advanced solutions, such as inter-car gangways, wide doors, HVAC equipment with air disinfection, while passengers can feel comfortable and safe.
Each car has two bogies with individual axle drives. The Russian-made 170 kW asynchronous traction motors installed on them ensure increased maximum speed and improved deceleration and acceleration characteristics, while air suspension provides a very smooth ride. The trains are equipped with modern KATP-4 traction converters and have a design speed of 90 km/h.
The asynchronous traction motor of the Minsk 2024. Source: TMH site in Mytishchi
Novelty to satisfy growing traffic
With Minsk’s impressive growth in recent years, the metro is one of the key elements in increasing the mobility of its residents, and the development of Line 3 is vital. Average daily traffic of the line exceeds 150,000 passengers, even though the first section of four stations opened only in 2020. Three more stations will be added in the near future to extend the line to the south of the city.
TMH’s current supplies support the growth in ridership on the extended Line 3. In March 2023, Minsk Metro and TMH plant in Mytishchi inked a contract for the supply of 28 cars, forming seven four-car trains. The new vehicles are expected to be assigned to the Slutskoye depot, which is still under construction.
Line 3 is the only metro station in Belarus to have automatic platform doors, with the prospect of fully unmanned operation. With this characteristic in mind, TMH changed the design of the trains. The intermediate and head cars of the Minsk 2024 are 140 and 70 mm shorter, respectively, than the basic model. Special systems synchronise the opening and closing of the doors.
Cars of the Minsk 2024 with open doors during assembly. Source: TMH site in Mytishchi
While the main components of the Minsk 2024 are manufactured in Russia, Belarusian companies’ contributions include yaw dampers, interior and driver’s cab lighting elements, windscreen wipers, ARS–ALS, etc.
The stainless steel car bodies are manufactured using laser cutting and welding technologies. The service life of the entire train is 30 years.
Automation and ergonomics for driver’s comfort
The GoA1 and GoA2 equipment, allowing for manual and semi-automatic operation of the Minsk 2024, respectively, implies the mandatory presence of a driver on board. According to TMH, this is not a fully automatic operation, so while the train moves and stops automatically, a driver is still responsible for closing doors, detecting obstacles on the track and responding to emergency situations.
Particular attention has been paid to the driver’s workplace. The desk has been completely redesigned to meet the customer’s requirements: the controls have been optimised and are now equipped with touch panels and screens. The cab is fitted with heated, high-tech, impact-resistant glass, which allows the driver to maintain a clear view even when the temperature or humidity change suddenly, as is often the case on open sections of the route.
The driver’s desk in the Minsk 2024. Source: TMH
An evacuation ladder is located in the front part of the driver’s cab. In accordance with the fire safety requirements for passenger transport, such a ladder and wide air-proof inter-car gangways, which are also provided on the Minsk 2024, allow passengers to exit the train into the tunnel quickly and safely, significantly speeding up passenger evacuation in the event of an emergency.
Evacuation ramp of the Minsk 2024. Source: TMH site in Mytishchi
Safety without compromise
The Minsk 2024 metro train is equipped with all advanced safety systems: automatic fire detection and extinguishing, video surveillance, emergency communication with a driver and emergency door opening devices. The train is fitted with fire and smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and CCTV cameras; for example, each car has eight fire alarm sensors and six cameras.
Safety equipment in the Minsk 2024. Source: TMH site in Mytishchi
The sliding plug doors used on the new train are protected against accidental jamming. Two people can enter or exit a car through a 1,400 mm wide door, four on each side, a total of eight in a car. More convenient journey during rush hours and increased capacity of the train are also facilitated by barrel-shaped inter-car gangways up to 1,500 mm wide, made as a single unit without support at the coupling.
Passenger comfort to a new level
Reliable insulation protects passengers and a driver from noise and heat, while the roof-mounted HVAC system features forced ventilation and UV air disinfection. The climate control system operates in two modes, which can be adjusted to suit the number of passengers.
One car can carry more than 300 passengers, with 41 ergonomic seats in the head car and 44 in the intermediate car. The seats are either standard or folding, but are upholstered in a special wear-resistant fabric. The head cars of the train have areas with supports and fastenings for passengers with reduced mobility, prams and bicycles.
Areas with supports and fastenings and folding seats in the Minsk 2024. Source: TMH site in Mytishchi
Handrails with “warm” coating are installed in the new train, taking into account the experience gained during the operation of TMH metro trains in other cities. Standing passengers can use horizontal handrails located above the seats and under the ceiling in the entrance areas and vertical ones at the doors and along the sections with seats. Special seats for passengers with reduced mobility are equipped with seat belts and horizontal handrails on the sides.
Each train provides passengers with 28 USB chargers for gadgets, which are located on wall panels next to the inter-car gangways and places for passengers with reduced mobility. LCD displays with station and route information are located above the doors, while those with advertising and other information are next to the doors. The new passenger information system was developed at the request of Minsk Metro.
Over-door LCD display in the Minsk 2024. Source: TMH site in Mytishchi
The lighting can be adjusted to suit the environment. It is arranged according to the “light box” principle, with lamps behind translucent ceiling panels, ensuring uniform brightness even over large areas. The temperature of the light changes automatically throughout the day to match the biorhythms of the passengers: from bright white light in the morning to subdued warm light in the evening. Next-to-door lights are also available to remind passengers about opening and closing of the doors.
Release in a shortest possible time
In 2023, it took TMH experts just five months to design the Minsk 2024. The bodies of the first four-car train were fully welded at the end of May this year. The cars were then painted in blue and white, the colours of Minsk Metro’s livery, with the coat of arms of the Belarusian capital and the logo of the metro operator itself on the body.
In early June, the cars were fitted with soundproofing, interior flooring and windows, followed by electrical work. By the middle of the month, the doors had been installed. In June, the TMH plant Mytishchi was visited by journalists from the Russian and Belarusian media, who were the first to see the cars being built.
Presentation of the Minsk 2024 metro train in June this year. Source: TMH
In the second decade of June, the HVAC system with air disinfection function was installed: air conditioning units located on the car roofs, with air ducts in the ceiling openings. The installation of the condensate drain was followed by electrical work to supply the HVAC equipment and the interior lighting.
By the end of June, the first train had been fitted with floor, door and window covers, window and sill panels and handrails with “warm” coating. The bogies received domestic asynchronous traction motors and the cars were fitted with modern safety features such as automatic fire detection and extinguishing, video surveillance, emergency communication with a driver and emergency door opening devices.
At the beginning of July, the watertightness of the glazing, doors, small body parts and roof equipment was checked. The first train was then fitted with inter-car gangways and a control panel was installed in the driver’s cab.
The second decade witnessed the completion of assembly, with seats, USB sockets and LCD displays installed in the cars. The new train was delivered to the customer at the end of the month, arriving in Minsk on 30 July.
Such well-coordinated work is not surprising. The TMH plant in Mytishchi is one of the most advanced and efficient in the global metro car building industry. The system approach applied to the Minsk metro project is proof of the Russian manufacturer’s ability to respond quickly to any customer request, taking into account the needs of passengers and operators. This, together with extensive experience in supplying dozens of metro stations around the world, including modernisation and life-cycle service projects, ensures TMH’s leadership in the metro market for decades to come.
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TMH is the number one manufacturer of railway and light rail transport in Russia and the CIS, and the number five worldwide. It offers a wide range of products and services, from the design and development of rolling stock to modernisation, life-cycle maintenance, and digital traffic control systems. The holding embraces production and assembly sites in Russia and other countries and works in more than 30 countries. Official website: tmh.global.
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