Recently ABB’s Power Grids UK Rail Sector Manager, Jay Mehta, attended Peloton’s Rail: North of the Border event in Glasgow to share his expertise on rail electrification and develop relationships with senior decision-makers in the Scottish rail sector. Also attending Peloton’s event with Jay were Bruce Warner, Global Product Manager for Rail and Urban Transportation and Luigi Lonoce, Global Product Specialist Rail and Urban Transportation, ABB Power Grids. The event focused on the delivery of Scotland’s rail projects, with top-level speakers offering valuable insights about future plans. The event, which was held at the Radisson BLU in Glasgow, hosted 500 delegates and more than ten industry-leading speakers. The headline sponsors of the event were Hitachi, Siemens Mobility and Alstom, supported by Costain, Bam Nuttall, Keltbray Rail and Telent.
During a 30-minute presentation, Jay explained how battery and hybrid trains offer a viable, sustainable alternative to diesel trains and are critical to decarbonising the Scottish Rail Network. He outlined the importance of smart energy management systems, combining both terminal and flash charging systems (which use both AC and DC), and efficient onboard energy storage. More than 40 people packed into a small room to hear Jay’s talk, including senior representatives for transport and the supply chain.
Some of the attendees were Bill Reeve, the Director of Rail, Transport Scotland; Adrian Shooter, the CEO of Vivarail, who introduced the UK’s first battery train; Colin Lamb, the Route Asset Manager E&P, Network Rail Scotland; Brian Mallon, the Senior Programme Manager for Network Rail Scotland and Electrification; and several senior members of Hitachi Rail Europe’s team.
Reflecting afterwards, Jay said: “Scotland has an ambition to decarbonise transport by 2035 and reach net zero by 2045. As a result, attendees were keen to hear what we have to offer, and there was a strong interest in FACTS-based technology to provide traction power, as well as flash charging for battery trains. We’ve scheduled follow up meetings with Network Rail and Transport for Scotland.
“I was also really pleased to hear that Abellio Scotrail’s Class 385 EMU trains are the most reliable and efficient trains on their network. These feature ABB traction transformers, so are a great example of our technology in action.”
Hitachi Rail Europe attended the conference, and Jim Brewin was promoting their “Decarbonisation of Rail” initiative.
Andy Myatt said: “Experiences like Jay’s show that speaking opportunities are an excellent way to showcase our technology and to develop relationships with customers. However, even though the industry is not able to get out and about due to COVID-19, it’s still important to find ways to share insight with customers. We can still talk with customers over the phone, via email and social media.”
