ABB’s traction transformers have helped move more than two million passengers safely and sustainably every day
Nestled in the heart of the Uttar Pradesh Heritage Arc, Lucknow is a city of contrasts; an amalgamation of the traditional and the modern. Once the ancient seat of the Nawabs (a title bestowed by Mughal emperors to semi-autonomous Muslim rulers), the capital is now a bustling metro, well on its way to becoming a smart city.
The Lucknow Metro project features under the Sugam initiative, part of Lucknow’s smart city plan, aimed at traffic decongestion through smart mobility solutions. As part of its urban development drive, the central government is encouraging cities with more than two million to develop mass transit systems. With around 3.4 million calling the city their home, Lucknow is one of the 50 Tier-II cities and towns to get a modern metro rail system.
As Lucknow makes the transition into a smart city, ABB is proud to be part of this journey. ABB made and dispatched its 1000th traction transformer that will be used in the metro project in Lucknow. Manufactured at the Vadodara factory, the light-weight, reliable ABB traction transformers are attached to and critical for on-board or metro compartment power supply. They enable efficient use of electric power and achieve higher levels of acceleration, with minimal space requirements. They are designed to lower fault level, ensuring high reliability and commuter safety.
ABB’s track side transformers for overhead electrification, and auxiliary dry type transformers will also power metro stations' lighting and other requirements. Solutions for the metro’s control center include hardware and SCADA software to remotely monitor the power distribution network and to enable substation automation. The entire system runs on the RTU500 series-based solution and ABB AbilityTM MicroSCADA, part of ABB's comprehensive portfolio of digital offerings. These systems enable efficient network management by facilitating complete visibility across 41 stations along the North-South and East-West corridors. They identify and alert the operator of any fault conditions and enable required load transfers, thereby improving the efficiency and reliability of operations. The SCADA solution used at Lucknow metro also acts as an energy management tool for their auxiliary systems.
In addition, a comprehensive ABB electrification solutions package will be provided to Lucknow Metro in a phased manner. In the second phase, ABB will provide compact power substations for efficient power supply and distribution, especially for the underground rail network, with relevant power protection and control technology. Also, ABB technology will be used in the building infrastructure for the electrical distribution. Finally, the lightning arrestors provided by ABB will be used on the metro rail buildings to keep commuters safe.
The Lucknow metro has two corridors, the North-South corridor and the East-West corridor. Construction on the 22.9-km North-South corridor started in 2014 and is expected to be completed by 2019. As the metro rail project proceeds at a rapid pace, the opening of the ‘Priority Corridor’, an 8.5-km stretch from Transport Nagar to Charbagh, has been much awaited.
ABB is among the leading firms providing integrated power supply solutions for metro rail projects. Since 2002, ABB has implemented comprehensive electrification of both AC and DC metro rail systems and currently eight operational metro rail projects across the country run on ABB technology.
