VÚKV a.s. carried out measurements of the characteristic pressure changes generated by the vehicle when entering the tunnel and during the tunnel passage for Škoda Transportation a.s.
Pressure changes are limited by legislation for higher speeds due to the determination of interface and boundary conditions for related aerodynamic issues in tunnels – in terms of health criterion, pressure loads on vehicle structures, passenger pressure comfort, etc. The test was carried out in the double-track Turecký vrch tunnel on the line relocation between Nové Mesto nad Váhom and Trenčianské Bohuslavice stations in western Slovakia on April 16, 2025.
A pair of 660 series EMU’s manufactured by Škoda Transportation a.s. for Railway Company Slovakia were used for the test. The maximum speed was 160 km/h without passing another vehicle in the tunnel. The test was able to obtain valuable data on the pressure changes generated by the current vehicle in the tunnel, which will allow their subsequent analysis and evaluation of possible modifications of newly designed vehicles for speeds higher than 160 km/h.
