Swiss manufacturer ABB has received an order to manufacture traction units and batteries for the 59 high-capacity commuter trains awarded to its fellow Swiss company Stadler in March 2021. The order is therefore one of the batches for the Renfe tender in which the multinational was awarded a contract worth one billion euros, which also includes spare parts, maintenance and an option for an additional 44 trains.

The collaboration experience between the two companies has influenced the decision, as has local proximity. As well as being from the same country, they both have factories in Valencia, where they will each manufacture their part of this major contract.

Industry specialisation
Head of the ABB Traction Division, Edgar Keller, explained, “After over a decade successfully collaborating in the train propulsion sector, we are proud that Stadler continues to trust us to supply the most modern high-capacity trains together.” He added, “ABB’s great industry specialisation is a guarantee that our traction and energy storage solutions are ideal to achieve sustainable, reliable and energy-efficient transport.”

According to Keller, the traction units for the new trains will have high energy efficiency, with a compact design that will help reduce unit weight. With roof-mounted traction converters, they will increase passenger seat numbers, which will also be spread over two floors. The mission of these converters is to take energy from the overhead lines or batteries and transform it into the voltage and frequency needed by the traction engines.

Energy storage systems will consist of high-power lithium-ion batteries that will be used in case of emergency when there are faults in the overhead lines or during shunting in stations.

Collaboration for innovation
Íñigo Parra, CEO of Stadler Valencia, responded to Keller by saying: “We are delighted to continue collaborating with ABB on this new project. Their vast knowledge of traction systems, along with their local proximity, adds value to the collaboration and favours innovation in these imminently technological projects.”

Antonio Martínez Suárez, director of the ABB Traction division in Spain, views rail transport as a key to decarbonising transport, provided the right technologies are used to manufacture more efficient and safer trains. He said, “This is precisely what we are achieving with the collaboration between Stadler Valencia and ABB, both in these high-capacity trains for Renfe and other projects inside and outside our borders.”

Stadler is awarded another contract
In mid-January, Stadler was awarded another contract, the largest in its history, to supply up to 504 trains to a German-Austrian consortium, a contract valued at 4 billion euros. The first 246 units ensure the company’s workload for 10 years.

It so happens that the model chosen by the six companies that combined to tender for this contract is the Citylink, which the Swiss company manufactures at its plant in Valencia, where it has been operating since 2016 with around 900 employees working at the 200,000 m2 facilities.

^{Photo: ABB}