With ABB equipment being specified to control the flow of power on board trains, at stations and to overhead lines, the Crossrail project has highlighted ABB’s rail electrification capabilities at every level from component supplier to lead contractor.
Services on London’s new Elizabeth line are due to start through central London in autumn 2019.
As part of the final drive towards completion, ABB equipment is being installed in switchboards and distribution equipment at new stations, as well as on board the trains. Our low and medium- voltage technologies have been selected for the Farringdon, Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf stations and on board the new trains being manufactured by Bombardier in Derby.
Landmark stations
At Farringdon, ABB Emax 2 circuit breakers, Automatic Transfer Switches (ATSs) and accessories will be integrated by switchboard builder AF Switchgear. In addition, we are delivering MCBs (Miniature Circuit Breakers) and RCBOs (Residual Current Breakers with Overcurrent protection) have been selected to form the heart of the three-phase distribution boards being built by Blakley Electrics.
Meanwhile, ABB is supplying ACBs (Air Circuit Breakers), MCCBs (Moulded Case Circuit Breakers) and terminals for Canary Wharf and Liverpool Street stations, with additional supply of plug-in relays and changeover switches at Canary Wharf.
The three stations will be busy interchanges on the network, therefore reliable and high- performance power distribution infrastructure will be essential to their successful operation. When it opens, Farringdon will become one of the UK’s busiest stations, with direct connections to three of London’s airports. Canary Wharf station will serve the financial district and Liverpool Street is a major terminus serving the City of London.
Reliability, availability and future-proofing are all important for such installations. One example of how we are answering these requirements is through the multifunctional capability of the Emax 2 circuit breaker. The compact switchgear integrates accurate metering, communication and the potential for intelligent decision making and remote control and monitoring.
On-board power
ABB’s low-voltage equipment will also be central to distribution of power on board the Elizabeth line trains, which are being manufactured by Bombardier in Derby. The trains are based on the manufacturer’s Aventra platform.
Transport for London’s priorities for the trains were for proven technology, energy efficiency and intelligent energy management.
We are supplying a significant amount of the on- board electrical systems to Bombardier, including control contractors, relays, MCBs and RCD modules, HD-type connection assemblies and HD resistor blocks.
In addition, our PMA cable management conduits and fittings will protect the trains’ intercar cables. The fittings are tough enough to withstand 3-D motion and exposure to sunlight, water and cleaning agents. At the same time, they also meet the high safety standards that apply to all materials used in underground rail.
Traction substations
The success at the stations and on board the trains complements ABB’s previous work in delivering three new traction power substations for the new railway on a turnkey basis. These substations on the western surface section of the route were delivered in an earlier phase of construction and are now in operation.
The substations were the first in the world to integrate ABB’s Structure Mounted Outdoor Switchgear (SMOS) Light, a type of modular AIS specific to the rail industry that is assembled and tested in the factory. Not only does this reduce the time required for construction, testing and commissioning by around a third, it also helps to de-risk projects.
A major benefit of SMOS Light is that it integrates ABB’s FSKII+ switchgear. This is the only vacuum circuit breaker that is approved for trackside installation under Network Rail’s PADS (Parts and Drawings System) scheme, meaning that it is safe, reliable and fit for purpose on the UK’s national rail infrastructure.
Another notable aspect of the traction substations was the delivery of the protection and control equipment in self-contained Portable Relay Rooms (PRRs). The scheme is based on the IEC 61850 smart grid communication protocol and the PRRs were delivered to site ready to plug and play, having been assembled, configured and tested at ABB’s System Verification Facility in Stone.
