Wegberg-Wildenrath
Test and Validation Centre
 connection to DB "Iron Rhine"
 DB passing loop
 flat crossing installed as needed
 workshops and yard
 connection to yard from T1 Oval
 T1 oval passing loop
 T3 (light rail) oval
The Siemens test track, showing a British Rail Class 450 to be used on South West Trains

The Wegberg-Wildenrath Test and Validation Centre (German: Prüf- und Validationscenter Wegberg-Wildenrath) is a railway test centre owned by Siemens near Wildenrath in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

History

The centre is located on the site of the former RAF Wildenrath British military airfield. After the airfield closed in 1992, it was taken over by Siemens which opened the test and validation centre in June 1997.[1][2] It had five tracks over 35 hectares (86 acres).[3] By 2007, the railway test tracks had taken over considerable areas of the airfield, with all but the western threshold and overrun of the runway obliterated. The north-east dispersal is completely taken over by sidings, workshops and loops. Of the southern dispersals, the central and eastern are bisected by the main railway oval test track.

There are ovals of track for testing trains, and various electrification systems. The test track is connected to the rest of the German railway network by the German portion of the Iron Rhine freight railway, branching off near Wegberg.[4]

Testing

Overview of the Wildenrath railway test track.

As well as Siemens the test tracks are also used by competitors such as Alstom, Bombardier Transportation and Stadler.[5]

There are 28 kilometres (17 mi) of standard and metre gauge tracks.[4][6] The facility is used for technical acceptance tests and approvals of locomotives,[7] rolling stock and trams[8] under operating conditions, and personnel training. It has been equipped for trials with Galileo.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Siemens to Build Test Centre International Railway Journal March 1995 page 3
  2. ↑ Wildenrath test centre Modern Railways issue 624 September 2000 page 61
  3. ↑ Focus on Wildenrath Test Centre The Railway Magazine issue 1214 June 2002 pages 14-17
  4. 1 2 "Railway tests and test infrastructure right in the heart of Europe" (PDF). Siemens Mobility. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-29. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  5. ↑ "Independent testing at Wildenrath". Railway Gazette International. 1 September 2002.
  6. ↑ The Wildenrath test centre Today's Railways UK issue 105 September 2010 page 49
  7. ↑ "Siemens Vectron revealed". www.railcolor.net. 29 June 2010.
  8. ↑ "Next-generation Citadis tram on test". Railway Gazette International. 5 September 2008. Archived from the original on 18 November 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  9. ↑ "Siemens railway test site equipped for Galileo trials". Railway Gazette International. 10 August 2009.

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