Summary

Another development, which is of considerable importance from the imaging, quality, marketing, and opera­tional points of view, is that overnight services, which in the past were often formed with heterogeneous rakes of vehicles belonging to more than one railway company, are now formed using stock of standardised DB NachtZug quality. A decision to attain this objective was taken in 2002.

It was also realised that in order to attract new clientele, an aggressive marketing campaign for overnight servi­ces had to be launched. This involved the use of various media - radio, posters, advertisement banners, and neon signs. It also meant the intro­duction of attractive travel offers. Internet booking facilities were introduced, together with customer care services. The campaign and reorganisation were successful. So much so that in 2003, before the new sleepers had entered service, DB NachtZug recor­ded a profit for the first time, as traffic grew encouragingly. The outlook for 2004 and beyond is even brighter, thanks to the new sleeper fleet, which will undoubtedly be popular.

Exercise 4. Answer the following questions.

1. What criteria were considered for a new sleeper for overnight services? 2. When and where did the sleepers realize their very first public run? 3. Is the sleeper fitted with coupling elements conforming to UIC norms? 4. What does electro-pneumatic brake system consist of? 5. How bogies are equipped? 6. What bodyshell is used for? 7. What are housed beneath the underframe? 8. How many exterior doors does the sleeper have? 9. What is the necessary requirement for operating on German high-speed lines? 10. How does the fire protection system of the sleeper work? 11. What can you tell about the air conditioning system? 12. Can you tell some words about the interior fittings of the sleeper?

Exercise 5. Fill in the gaps with the necessary words from the table given below.

smoke service intercom childproof stale ultra-violet potable dampen gangways fireproof exterior bodyshell ambience overnight smooth UIC sterilisation interior sleeper air suspension coupling-elements key card

1. The question of designing a new … for … services was addressed early in 1999. 2. A … system for compartment door unlocking is used in the car. 3. There is also an UV radiation operated … plant. 4. The sleeper is fitted with … conforming to … norms. 5. The bogies are equipped with … offering a … ride at a maximum speed of 200 km/h. 6. … furnishings make much use of materials and colours which exude an … of warmth and comfort. 7. Installation of thermal insulation and noise insulation material is realised from inside the … . 8. The … doors are … and operate pneumatically. 9. Inter-car … have special supports to … vertical movement 10. Cold water pas­ses through an … lamp sterili­sation unit, to make it … . 11. … air is sucked out of the com­partments by two ventilators. 12. All locking devices are easy to operate, though … . 13. There is an … connection to the … compartment. 14. The fire detection system compri­ses … detectors.