ABB wins breakthrough transformer order to support sustainable mobility in Austria

Bombardier to deploy ABB’s innovative Effilight® traction transformers to lower energy consumption and expand rail network

ABB has won an order from Bombardier Transportation to provide 42 Effilight® roof-mounted traction transformers for its TALENT 3 electric multiple unit (EMU) platform. The order is the first global commercial success for the recently launched Effilight transformer and is part of a frame contract to deliver up to 600 traction units for 300 trains by the end of 2024. The transformers will be installed on 21 trains that will operate between rural and urban areas in Austria’s Vorarlberg region and also connect with neighboring countries to provide additional passenger capacity and reduce road traffic. 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.

Urbanization and economic development are driving the need for efficient mobility as an increasing number of people rely on commuter, regional and intercity transportation systems that connect urban centers with surrounding suburbs and the regions beyond.

On average, every Austrian citizen travels about 1,425 kilometers by train each year, the third highest in the world in the use of train travel after Japan and Switzerland. The country has a vision to transport 500 million passengers a year and 150 million tons of freight by 2020, across nearly 5,000 kilometers of track. The planned addition to the rail network will support the realization of this vision.

Effilight is ABB’s next-generation traction transformer, which uses a patented high-technology cell design that can reduce the amount of oil required by up to 70 percent, without compromising functionality. This saving in oil volume compensates for the additional copper introduced to reduce losses and improve energy efficiency. To meet higher energy efficiency needs, ABB has optimized the design for a load loss reduction of 25 percent, compared with a classic transformer of the same weight.

“Bombardier and ABB have an excellent track record of cooperation, and this latest success reaffirms our position as a supplier of choice and reliable long-term technology partner,” said Claudio Facchin, President of ABB Power Grids. “Effilight is an innovative technology that supports our strategy to develop solutions to support sustainable mobility for millions of commuters and we are pleased to implement our first commercial installation on the Austrian rail network.”

Used by rail operators around the world, ABB traction transformers are designed and manufactured to exacting standards, to provide the highest levels of availability and reliability for uninterrupted train services, serving an important societal need for sustainable mobility.

About ABB

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) 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 132,000 employees.