CAF Power & Automation has signed a €50 million contract with PT INKA for the supply of the railway control and traction systems to be installed on the 31 Light Rail Vehicles that the Indonesian company will operate in Jakarta.
This project includes the design and manufacturing of the COSMOS control system and the complete traction chain, including POWER DC 750V converters designed with cutting-edge technology to help minimize both, operating power consumption and maintenance costs.
Furthermore, the traction chain of the new metro vehicles will also incorporate axles, wheels and gear-units supplied by MIIRA, which is CAF Group's Business Unit specialized in rolling gear components.
All the supplied equipment will be fitted on the 31 LRV units that PT INKA will commission for revenue service in the Jabodebek - Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Bekasi line, in the metropolitan area of the Indonesian Capital. This project is one of the strategic moves of the Indonesian Government towards the improvement and modernization of passenger transit in the country.
The LRVs, designed for GoA3 automatic driverless train operation (DTO) , will consist of 6 cars each for an aggregate of 186 passenger cars, and will provide suburban service at up to 80km/h.
The company, PT Industri Kereta Api – INKA, with a workforce of circa 4000, is one of the leading railway companies in Southeastern Asia and enjoys a long standing experience in the sector.
Iosu Ibarbia, General Manager of the company, reveals that “CAF Power & Automation is committed to a constant pursue of new traction and on-board energy storage solutions to tackle future mobility issues. We are partnering with other internationally prominent railway companies for European railway innovation schemes, our ultimate goal being enhanced vehicle reliability and operation availability.” So much so, that he is confident that this Indonesian project may operate as a clincher for the Basque company to win new contracts in Southeast Asia.
The Asian Market
This Indonesian contract will underpin CAF Power & Automation’s foothold in the high value Asian market, where the company's control, traction and energy storage systems are already in operation in railway vehicles in China Mainland and Taiwan.
Particularly in Taiwan, the contract won by CAF Power & Automation for the integration of traction and power accumulation equipment on 9 URBOS trams which are running in the city of Kaohsiung from 2015, proved to be a breakthrough for the Company as this was the first 100% catenary-free tram with on-board energy storage technology ever.
In like manner, this new project in Indonesia adds to CAF Power & Automation’s current ongoing contracts for the metros of Naples, Amsterdam, Quito and Brussels, trams of Luxembourg, Freibourg and Newcastle, and locomotive equipment in Italy, Belgium and India, equipped with the Company's control, traction and power accumulation systems.
CAF Power & Automation upholds the commitment to offer high quality on-board systems consistent with sustainable transit.