ABB To Supply Train Traction Equipment

ABB has won orders worth more than US$140 million from the Swiss train manufacturer Stadler to supply traction equipment for trains and locomotives in the United States and several European countries.

In the United States, the order includes traction converters for 19 double-deck trains for Caltrain to meet projected increase in travel demand in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The orders include ABB’s traction transformers and traction converters for 27 regional trains for the Norwegian state-owned passenger transport operator Norske Tog (NT). Fourteen of the new train sets are equipped with ABB onboard energy storage systems designed to improve energy efficiency and make the fleet more sustainable, the company said.

In Germany, the latest generation of roof-mounted traction converters and dry-type traction transformers will be installed on 64 new FLIRT (Fast Light Innovative Regional Train) trains for the S-Bahn networks in Hanover. The converters are based on ABB’s patented multilevel topology and built with the latest semiconductor technology. Similar traction equipment will also be installed on 12 new FLIRT trains for the Swiss operator Schweizerische Südostbahn (SOB). The ABB-powered train sets will serve regional and long-distance routes.

Stadler’s Spanish subsidiary in Valencia has ordered traction converters and traction transformers for 15 locomotives for operation in various countries, including France, Germany and Spain. Additionally, traction equipment for new rail vehicles for other European operators in Italy and Slovakia were ordered.

“In partnership with Stadler, we have successfully integrated new technologies in modern trains for more than 17 years,” said Morten Wierod, president of ABB’s Motion business. “ABB’s highly compact and light traction technology makes trains more energy efficient, improves operational performance, and increases space to enhance passenger comfort.”