Saft Batteries to Provide Starting and Auxiliary Power for New Northern Ireland Trains
01 January 2004 15:38
Saft SRX high-power rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries will provide on-board starting and auxiliary power for the 23 three-car Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs), which the Spanish company CAF is currently manufacturing under a £80 million (€130 million) contract for NI Railways. The first train is expected to be commissioned and in service by mid 2004, while all 23 are planned to be in service by late 2005.
The new trains, which are designed to offer the state-of-the-art in terms of passenger comfort, will be capable of travelling at a top speed of 160km/h and will run on Belfast suburban routes as well as the Belfast-Dublin main line. They will replace the existing Class 80 rolling stock and each train will be fully air conditioned and have seating for 200 passengers with additional space for wheelchairs and bicycles.
Saft is supplying three 24V batteries for each car set - a total of 69 batteries - to provide on-board power to start the diesel engine as well as supporting the auxiliary electrical system and emergency lighting. Each battery, mounted in an under-frame battery compartment, will comprise 20 SRX 190 FR (190Ah capacity) cells in polyamide flame retardant plastic containers.
For more information on this company:
Saft - Nickel-Cadmium Batteries for Mass Transit Applications
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