ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016

THE SMA RAILWAY TECHNOLOGY GMBH MAGAZINE

RAILFOCUSTHE REAL TESTSMARTCONVERTER 3 METRO IN OPERATION

NONSTOP REGIOTRAM KASSEL FULLY ESTABLISHED

RESTLESSTGV SHINES WITH HIGH OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE

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Dirk Wimmer Dirk.Wimmer＠SMA-Railway.com

EditorStefanie Schütze Stefanie.Schuetze@SMA-Railway.com

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Publishing credits

RAILFOCUSRailway Technology MagazinePublisher:

SMA Railway Technology GmbH

Miramstrasse 87 34123 Kassel Germany

Phone +49 561 50634-6000 Fax +49 561 50634-6001

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Content

Editorial

News

Service & exhibitions

Outlook

One for allSMARTconverter 3 Regio for NSR Sprinter

NonstopRegioTram Kassel fully established

The real testSMARTconverter 3 Metro in operation

RestlessTGV shines with high operational performance

EffectiveGuggenheim Museum attracts passengers

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DEAR READER,

Editorial

The countdown to InnoTrans 2016 is on! Following on from the successful launch of our SMARTconverter 3 Metro in 2014, we are now introducing another standardized device at the industry's leading trade fair in Berlin. Designed for commuter trains, at the heart of the SMARTconverter 3 Regio is its auxiliary power converter for metro vehicles, optimized for the special requirements of commuter trains.

In this current issue of RAILFOCUS we share with you our experiences in deploying the SMARTconverter 3 Metro, and you will find out how the type tests for our latest product are progressing.

We will also take a brief look back into the history of SMA, as SMA power electronics are behind the success stories for the high-speed train TGV and the two-system and hybrid vehicles of the Kassel RegioTram.

We hope you enjoy this latest issue of RAILFOCUS!Yours sincerely,

Alexander SchmidtGeneral Manager SMA Railway Technology GmbH

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News

NEWS

COMFORTABLEIn Rotterdam, our SMARTcooler 2 air conditioning inverter supports the retrofit-ted air-conditioning system in the Citadis tram vehicles designed by Alstom. SMA Railway supplies Alstom Transport with 61 of the roof mounted units, help-ing to make passengers more comfor-table through the right climate control in the commuter train.

SWIFTVehicle manufacturer Alstom Transport is going to supply a fleet of 25 trainsets from its Metropolis platform to the Indian Metro Kochi by the end of 2016. After a mere 15 months production time, the

first vehicles were received with pride in January 2016. SMA Railway provided the SMARTconverter 3 Metro of per-formance class 170 kVA and 30 kW for these platform-based vehicles made

in India. The new trains will run on a 25.6 kilometer route between Alwaye and Petta, with approximately 15,000 passengers per hour.

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News

PERMANENTThe “Union Pearson Express” (UP) by Canadian transport operator Metrolinx took to the rails in 2015. This airport shuttle is Canada's first express train that covers the distance between the major traffic hubs Union Station and Toronto Pearson International Airport in just 25 minutes. The service is aimed at tourists and travelers, and is expected to take around 1.2 million cars off the road. These diesel-hydraulic multiple units operate 19.5 hours a day and deploy SMA Railway's SMARTconverters, which are fed by permanent magnet synchronous generators.

UNIVERSALSMARTchargers have come to the Italian city of Trieste. The battery chargers for Civity vehicles by Spanish manufacturer CAF are primarily used in the region around Trieste. But they are also de-signed to be deployed in Austria and Slovenia, two countries bordering the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. These uni-versal systems are on the advance!

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Application

ONE FOR ALLSMARTCONVERTER 3 REGIO FOR NSR SPRINTER

One idea is driving the third generation of SMARTconverter: developing the reliable SMA aux­iliary power converter with a focus on a high propor­tion of identical parts and maintaining the necessary flexibility through a catalog of options. This standard­ized device for metros was launched in 2014 and has since sold in its hundreds. The type tests for the new SMARTconverter 3 Metro for the Regio segment have also been completed.

How sophisticated this generation of products actually is came to light when we tried to adapt the standardized approach for the system properties of an auxiliary power converter aimed at regional multiple units. Apart from modifications due to the vehicle type, including changing

from an underfloor to a roof-mounted system, very few modifications were required.

Tried and tested aspects could be adopted without changes, and because the unit containers were of simi-lar dimensions, the electro-mechanical structure needed only minimal adjustments. A seamless integration was achieved for all electrical function groups with the highest possible proportion of identical parts. Simply adapting a few passive components, such as filters, winding material or power rails, made it possible to meet the various tech-nical requirements for both Metro and Regio vehicles. Just like with a construction kit, we were able to make the Metro concept fit the Regio platform. The latest product generation of SMARTconverter 3 is required to meet

Series production of the SMARTconverter 3 Regio has begun.

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Did you know? The first SMARTconverter 3 Regio series devices will be used for “NS Reizigers (NSR)”, the electrical multiple units commissioned by Dutch railway operator NS which will hit the rails in 2018.

Christof.Maahsen@SMA-Railway.com

European standards and certification requirements, such as TSIs (Technical Specifications for Interoperability), and to employ environmentally friendly materials.

The challenge that this device adjustment for the Dutch carrier Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) presented, was the request for a system as quiet as possible. In an attempt to minimize the burden placed on residents, the maximum sound pressure must match the level of a TV at normal lis-tening volume. Even fewer decibels are allowed in depot.

We were able to implement this requirement using a sophis-ticated ventilation solution.

Achieving the highest possible proportion of identical parts was a key condition.

Technical DataAuxiliary power converter for NSR Sprinter

Input voltage 1,500 V DCOutput voltage 3 x 230 / 400 V AC, 50 Hz, 145 kVA, 110 V DC, 15 kWDimensions 1,800 x 950 x 600 mm

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Application

For over ten years now have the RegioTrams in Kassel has been serving both the city center and the surround­ing region and are part of the streetscape. These Alstom platform vehicles offer a same­train commuter service between the city of Kassel and nearby towns such as Melsungen, Vellmar and Wolfhagen. What makes the Kassel model so special? The two­system or hybrid vehicles use both the tram and the railway network.

Interested parties from various countries keep coming to Kassel to see for themselves this model that is internation-ally known as a “tram-train system”. The idea was born in the nineties in the German city of Karlsruhe. This concept uses the existing infrastructure to avoid costly investment.

Another important aspect is comfort: instead of having the passenger change trains, the vehicle changes tracks.

The infrastructural heart of the RegioTram project is Kassel's main railway station. It was converted into a through-station; two platforms were lowered and a tunnel was created to allow a seamless transition between the networks.

Infrastructure wasn't the only factor to consider. There were also the technical parameters of the vehicles, above all the dimensions of the wheels with tires in conjunction with the crossing frogs, clearance zones, safety technology, and of course the electricity system.

NONSTOPREGIOTRAM KASSEL FULLY ESTABLISHED

The RegioTram commutes between Kassel city and nearby towns.

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Application

Kassel's main railway station is the infrastructural heart.

SMA Railway provided the auxiliary power converters for the different voltage supplies. Since the start of the Kassel tram-train model, the 28 platform vehicles from Alstom have been bringing several million passengers to their destinations – with many more to come.

Jennifer.Herr@SMA-Railway.com

Technical DataAuxiliary power converter for RegioTram Kassel

Input voltage 750 V DCOutput voltage 3 x 230 / 400 V AC, 50 Hz, 35 kVA, 24 V DC, 13 kWDimensions 1,800 x 700 x 460 mm

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THE REAL TESTSMARTCONVERTER 3 METRO IN OPERATION

Having extended the type test even beyond the international standard IEC 61287, the first SMARTconverter 3 Metro series devices were placed into a real-world environment in July 2015. While the prototypes of the new product generation remained in the local test field of SMA Railway, the series-pro­duced components for the Metro Santiago de Chile went further afield to Spanish train manufacturer CAF. The local warehouses in Spain held the first vehicles ready to test our auxiliary power converter.

Dennis Halpape, head of project management and project lead for this CAF contract, oversaw the factory acceptance test (FAT) for the metro vehicles in Chile. In close coordi-nation with colleagues from the rolling stock manufacturer and two other employees of SMA Railway, functionality was verified for the first time under real-world conditions in the Spanish area of Beasain.

What does a factory acceptance test entail? The fascinating thing about this particular FAT is the actual installation in the rail environment. It can always happen that the installation situation in the real world turns out some-what different from that originally planned. Our first check after installing the auxiliary power converter was to see if everything was positioned correctly and if the wiring was OK. Once we were certain that the underfloor container was in its place, we started checking functionality for our SMARTconverter 3 Metro. And by the way: there were no variances during installation.

What does the term “full load” actually mean? Taking an auxiliary power converter into operation means that we gradually engage the original loads until the con-verter operates under full load. This situation never or rarely occurs in real life operation. For us it meant that after the wiring test we engaged the battery, the air conditioning, the communication units etc.

A wide range of tests followed to check the interaction with the train components, but they also showed how the various parts in the converter itself interacted under load. In addition to checks such as the load distribution measure-ment, we also verified the control settings of the integrated converter software.

Did we run into difficulties in the real-world environment? No, we did not encounter any difficulties. Based on the vari-ous preceding type tests, we carried out minor adjustments. We were able to simply run through the test checklist for the factory acceptance test. But we were obviously still a little nervous to see if everything would go according to plan. But these static tests serve only to verify whether all functions are fulfilled. For me personally, the dynamic tests – which are the first journeys – are the real proof that everything is running smoothly. So? Have those journeys been completed? Yes, the metro vehicles have successfully completed their first test drives. Actual transport operations, however, will only begin from 2017. The areas of use for these vehicles, Metro lines 3 and 6, are currently still in development.

SMA Railway has already delivered over 100 SMARTconverter 3 Metro standardized devices to Spanish manufacturer CAF.

Dennis.Halpape@SMA-Railway.com

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Featured article

Interview with Dennis Halpape, Head of Project Management.

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RESTLESSTGV SHINES WITH HIGH OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE

A symbol of high speed: the “Train à grande vitesse” of French state rail company SNCF.

Whether TGV Duplex or TGV POS, Dayse or Euro­duplex: these trains are renowned for fast travel over long distances. They are based on the “Train à grande vitesse” (TGV, the French term for high­speed train), and this train type – thanks to its high utilization rate – is said to deliver the lowest energy consump­tion per seat. A battery charger made by SMA is in­stalled in the succinct traction unit. Since 2006, over 600 SMARTcharger units have been supplied to rail manufacturer Alstom.

Since high speed operations started, TGV trains have been renowned as the pioneers of high-speed railway. Today, those train types operate all over the world.

For more than 20 years, “sister trains” of the TGV – a brand owned by French state railway operator SNCF – have been operating throughout Europe. And fairly recently a first set of trains was delivered to Africa: the TGV Duplex will travel through the hot Moroccan climate, but few modifications were needed in relation to the SMARTcharger. One adjust-ment included increasing the temperature range.

Time and again, it is the TGV's operational performance that makes it stand out. At speeds of up to 320 kilometers per hour, the TGV can cover 2,500 kilometers each day. This is twice as much as an ICE, the fastest breed of Deutsche Bahn trains in Germany. The double-decker design allows for almost 500 passengers. But the French state railway

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Application

operator sees no reason to let the topic of high-speed trains rest. Late 2015 saw the emergence of a public investment program driving the advantages of the TGV even further.

The plans foresee that the next, which is the fourth, gener-ation of TGV will comfortably accommodate around 750 passengers, reduce servicing cost and bring down energy consumption by up to 35 percent.

Emmanuel.Marry@SMA-Railway.com

Technical DataBattery charger for TGV

Input voltage 530 V DCOutput voltage 72 V DC, 9 kWDimensions 584 x 617 x 405 mm

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Application

EFFECTIVEGUGGENHEIM MUSEUM ATTRACTS PASSENGERS

The opening of the Spanish Guggenheim Museum saw the emergence of a new phenomenon, the Bil­bao effect. This describes the positive magnetic im­pact that the spectacular building has on the city. Each year the museum attracts around one million visitors to the traditionally more industrial city of Bilbao, more than half are traveling from abroad. This pro­vides benefits not only to the tourism industry, but also to the development of the city's infrastructure. The construction works on line 3 of Metro Bilbao are nearing completion.

This many million Euro project drew a lot of criticism in the 1990s, but since the completion of the building in 1997, the positives have been many. In addition to culturally en-

riching the region, the museum has increased the number of overnight stays by more than 30 percent. It also created employment opportunities and generally initiated an urban renewal effort. The following years saw the emergence of other buildings, such as the Palace of Congress “Palacio Euskalduna” for theater and concert performances, which helped to make the typically industrial cityscape of Bilbao more attractive.

The design and the development of the local transport net-work also received a boost in terms of style. Architect Nor-man Foster created shell-shaped glassy entrance canopies for the stations, nicknamed “Fosteritos”. The network is now being expanded and by the end of 2016, Metro Bilbao is ex-pected to include another line in addition to the existing two.

A major attraction in the Spanish city of Bilbao – the Guggenheim Museum was completed in 1997.

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Application

Technical DataAuxiliary power converter for Metro Bilbao

Input voltage 1,500 V DCOutput voltage 3 x 230 / 400 V AC, 50 Hz, 75 kVA, 110 V DC, 20 kWDimensions 2,000 x 870 x 730 mm

The vehicle fleet is also growing. Spanish manufacturer CAF is supplying 12 three-car trains to serve the future line 3, and 16 more to replace existing units – all supported by our low-weight SMARTconverter 3 Metro auxiliary power converter. The initial 5.9 km route will run from Etxebarri to Matiko.

Ignazio.Rizzo@SMA-Railway.com

The trains of line 3 between Etxebarri and Matiko.

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Service

Exhibition dates 2016

Service

INNOTRANS

2016/09/20 – 2016/09/23 Exhibition Grounds Berlin Berlin, Germany

SERVICE & EXHIBITIONS

Our service line is available to provide expert advice Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (CET).

Service line:Phone +49 561 50634-6600

If you have any questions or need support, we will be glad to receive your e-mails.

Service e­mail: Service@SMA-Railway.com

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Outlook

OUTLOOK

Additional trains for the greater Paris area: recently SNCF requested 15 commuter trains in line with their master agreement with Alstom. The so-called Tram Train New Generation (TTNG) extend the reach of the Citadis Dualis family and goes far beyond the city limits. Suchlike suburban trains, under the name of “SNCF Transilien”, bring 2.9 million passengers daily to more than 300 stations. They are support-ed by auxiliary power converters from SMA – specially developed for Alstom's platform vehicles.

TTNG for Transilien

The development of rail transport in India is progressing. Early 2016 saw the inauguration of the new elevated rail system Metro Kochi, and plans for metros in Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Mumbai are well underway. The Indian government announced investments of hundreds of billions of euros to provide expanded rail and air networks for the booming country. The fast-paced exten-sion of Metro Kochi is a visible sign for this commitment.

India's Infrastructure Development

RAILFOCUS

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