Indian Railways' project for Diesel Locomotive works in Varanasi bagged by ABB

Technology company ABB has added another feather in its cap by winning an order worth Rs 115 crore from Indian Railways' Diesel Locomotive works, Varanasi to supply traction transformers. The project, which is situated in the Lok Sabha Constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is part of Indian Railways' 'Mission Electrification' initiative to convert an additional 24,000 kilometers of railways network from fuel oil to electrification, said an ABB statement. 
 
The mission also aims to enhance energy efficiency by adopting high quality equipment and facilitating the increased adoption of renewable energy in railway operations, the statement said. 
 
“ABB continues its strong commitment to the Indian Railways, with technology that enables 24x7, reliable and quality power for this critical mode of transportation. We have recently also supplied power quality solutions for the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) which helps to regulate and stabilize the power supply.” said Pitamber Shivnani, Local Division Manager, Power Grids division, ABB India. 
 
According to ABB, these transformers are customized for the WAP-7 type electric locomotive. The 6000 horsepower capacity locomotive is capable of hauling 24 coaches at speeds of up to 140 kilometers per hour. The transformers will be manufactured at ABB’s Vadodara facility in Gujarat. 
 
ABB transformers power about half the world’s electrical locomotives and train sets, and most train manufacturers and rail operators rely on them, said the statement, adding that ABB’s traction transformers are compact, lightweight and extremely reliable. 
 
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In addition to traction power solutions, ABB provides a diverse power portfolio for rail and urban transport solutions including static frequency converter stations, power quality systems, ABB AbilityTM network management systems, energy recuperation and energy storage systems, system studies and dynamic traction power supply simulations based on powerful software tools.