The University of Birmingham’s Transient Aerodynamic Investigation (TRAIN) facility, based in Derby’s Rail Technology Centre (RTC) business park, has reopened following a £1.5 million renovation and upgrade.
The TRAIN rig is a unique facility which allows researchers to examine the aerodynamic effects created by moving vehicles and the impact on their surroundings. It is part of the University of Birmingham’s Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE), and underpins much of its railway aerodynamic research.
The facility upgrade has been funded by the UK Collaboratorium for Research into Infrastructure and Cities (UKCRIC), which has delivered more than £27 million of investment in new facilities for the University. UKCRIC’s vision is to create, operate and coordinate multi-disciplinary research programmes to make UK national and local infrastructure (such as transport, water, waste, energy and ICT systems) fit for purpose for supporting societal development in a changing world.
The instrumented 150m long track allows researchers to fire models at speeds of up to 80m/s (close to 180mph) to examine a whole range of different aerodynamic effects including slipstream development and pressure effects. Recent railway aerodynamics projects have included works for RSSB, High Speed 2, ARUP and Bombardier.