ABB has won an order from Alstom to supply 1600 traction transformers for 800 new electric freight locomotives in India. The new locomotives will expand Indian Railways’ capacity, easing congestion on busy routes for both freight and passenger services.
The transformers will be manufactured locally in ABB’s Vadodara facility in the western Indian state of Gujarat, supporting the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative to encourage manufacturing in the country.
Indian Railways operates the largest rail network in Asia, and is the world’s second-largest rail network operated under single management. The company moves more than 12,500 trains and 23 million passengers daily, equivalent to the population of Australia.
ABB will supply 25 kilovolt (kV)/50 hertz (Hz) underframe traction transformers for the 800 locomotives (2 units per locomotive). The compact transformers are designed for the most demanding conditions, including extreme temperatures and voltage fluctuations. They will support heavy freight loads over long distance haulage under rigorous conditions, including steep inclines.
“ABB has been supplying traction transformers for Alstom’s electrical locomotives for more than a decade and this order confirms our position as a supplier of choice and a reliable long-term technology partner,” said Claudio Facchin, president of ABB’s Power Grids division. “These state-of-the-art transformers will be locally manufactured and are an example of how ABB delivers differentiated customer value by leveraging its technology strengths and global footprint, as part of our Next Level strategy.”
Traction transformers feed power at safe voltages to essential train functions like traction, brakes, lighting, heating and ventilation, as well as passenger information, signaling and communication. Used by rail operators around the globe, ABB traction transformers are manufactured at its plants in Switzerland, India and China, and provide the highest levels of availability and reliability for uninterrupted train service.
ABB is a pioneering technology leader in electrification products, robotics and motion, industrial automation and power grids, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. Continuing more than a 125-year history of innovation, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization and driving the Energy and Fourth Industrial Revolutions. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 135,000 employees. www.abb.com
