ABB alternating current and direct current (AC/DC) low voltage distribution panels and junction boxes will be installed in 378 BOMBARDIER INNOVIA Monorail 300 cars for São Paulo, and 12 cars for Riyadh. The low voltage panels consist of circuit breakers, contactors (remotely operated switches) and terminal blocks (electrical connectors).

The junction boxes provide input power to the auxiliary power units and lower the voltage to levels suitable for electrical systems like lighting, air conditioning, battery charging and control circuits. The system will also be protected by ABB AC and DC distribution boxes.

“All of our rail products conform to IEC and NEMA, the highest international quality standards,” said Martin Bussière, Railway Segment Manager for the North American rolling stock team, part of ABB’s Low Voltage Products division. “Public attention is very much focused on environmentally-friendly transport and reducing oil and gas consumption. ABB’s rolling stock business is well-placed to continue expanding, as more people turn to transportation alternatives like trains, trams, monorails and subways.

ABB specially designed and developed low voltage panels for Bombardier’s platforms, the INNOVIA Monorail 300 and the INNOVIA ART 300 (advanced rapid transit) systems. The boxes and electrical connectors are made out of aluminum and weigh 50 kg, about 30 percent less than the industry standard. They are also smaller; the flexible design can be modified for future rail platforms.

In addition, ABB rail products have an excellent track record of withstanding the rigors of constant vibration and severe temperatures.

One ABB low voltage panel will equip each car of the INNOVIA Monorail 300 trains. For the INNOVIA ART 300 system, ABB will also supply one junction box per train.

Large infrastructure projects are underway in both São Paulo and Riyadh. The 24-km Expresso Tiradentes rail extension in São Paulo will benefit 500,000 users daily, and reduce a two-hour train journey to 50 minutes. Riyadh is installing a 3.6-km long, six-station monorail system to service the King Abdullah Financial District, the city’s prestigious new financial and business center currently under development.

In the past 15 years, ABB has sold more than 500,000 low voltage products to more than 200 customers for installation in more than 9,500 trains and locomotives, ranging from breakers, contactors and terminal blocks to drives inside HVAC systems, AC & DC distribution cabinets and many other systems like HVAC applications.

Bombardier has previously supplied four other fully automated Monorail systems for the cities of Tampa, Newark, Jacksonville and Las Vegas in the United States. The INNOVIA family of fully automated transit system solutions includes monorail, advanced rapid transit and automated people mover systems, all designed and engineered by Bombardier Transportation at its sites in Kingston, Canada and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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