Hitachi ABB Win Rs 120 Crore Order For Railways Electrification

In an order worth Rs 120 crore, Hitachi ABB Power Grids India will deliver its transformers to CLW for the production of 400 electric locomotive engines

In an order worth Rs 120 crore, Hitachi ABB Power Grids India will be delivering its transformers to the Government of India’s electric locomotive manufacturer, Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW), for the production of 400 passenger and freight locomotive engines. Through the project, Hitachi ABB Power Grids continues to contribute to the country’s mission to be the world’s first net-zero carbon emitter by the end of the decade.

“The order from CLW is a prestigious one for Hitachi ABB Power Grids. It strengthens a two-decades-long partnership with the customer and enables us to contribute further to India’s mission to advance the economy in a responsible manner,” said N Venu, Managing Director, Hitachi ABB Power Grids India. “Railways are the backbone of environmentally-sustainable transport and our pioneering technology will help successfully balance energy expansion with the reduction of emissions.”

The firm is supplying transformers, which are known for their endurance the company claims. They can withstand the harshest of climate conditions and yet maximise safety as well as energy and eco-efficiency.

For railways, electric energy is supplied as a high voltage to the catenary feeder substations. The transformers reduce the voltage to a suitable level before feeding it to the railway catenary conductors used by locomotives.

Different railway electrification systems demand different kinds of transformers. For this project, the firm is delivering transformers split between the 6,531 kilo-volt-ampere (kVA) for CLW’s goods locomotive engines and the 7,775 kVA for passenger. These transformers feed power to essential train functions (e.g. traction, lighting, heating and ventilation, brakes, signaling, and communication). They are a critical link in the traction chain, driving train performance and operator services.

Hitachi ABB Power Grids is a global technology leader headquartered in Switzerland. The firm serves utility, industry and infrastructure customers across the value chain, and emerging areas like sustainable mobility, smart cities, energy storage and data centres. In India, the business operates under the legal entity name ABB Power Products and Systems India Limited.