Siemens Supplies Electrical Equipment for Multiple-Unit Trains in Spain
02 June 2004
Siemens Transportation Systems has received another order from Spanish National Railways (Renfe) to supply the electrical equipment for 40 electric-powered regional trains. The order is worth around EUR 50 million.
The new order, which is also coupled with a maintenance contract, concerns the second series of the Civia class multiple-unit trains operated by Renfe. Siemens also supplied the electrical equipment for the first series of 14 trainsets already in service.
One especially interesting item in the scope of supply is the new traction converter from the Siemens series of compact converters. It is the first IGBT converter to come onto the market that is suitable for direct connection to the 3 kV DC power supply system (direct current). It was developed in close cooperation with Renfe, whose exacting requirements regarding the reliability of the trains were a significant driving force behind the design work.
The compact design reduces the weight of the converter, thus improving the performance characteristics of the train and the energy costs. As most of the electrical components are arranged in the two end cars, the operator can exercise greater flexibility in configuration of the 31 five-car and 9 three-car units.
Renfe placed particular emphasis on local manufacture. Among other products, the traction motors and the traction converters are therefore being manufactured in Siemens' Cornellá plant near Barcelona. The mechanical equipment for this order will come from the Spanish manufacturer and consortium member, CAF. Deliveries are scheduled until the end of 2007 within the framework of the public infrastructure plan, which calls for the purchase of around 250 trains by the year 2010.
The trains are to be deployed in regional rail service in all of Spain’s major urban centers including Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Seville, Alicante, Cádiz and the Asturias region.
The Transportation Systems Group (TS) of Siemens AG is one of the leading international suppliers to the railways industry. As single source supplier and system integrator, the Group combines in its business segments Automation & Power, Rolling Stock, Turnkey Systems and Integrated Services all the expertise necessary to cover the spectrum from signaling and control systems to traction power supplies, as well as rolling stock for mass transit, regional and main line services. Extensive experience in project management and forward-looking service concepts complement our portfolio. In fiscal 2003 (ended September 30) TS generated sales of EUR4.7 billion with a staff of around 17,700 the world over.
