Hitachi Rail and SMRT Trains, a rail operator in Singapore, have announced the completion of the Phase 1 milestone of their green CBTC next gen project at the SITCE Exhibition in Singapore. The project achieved an additional 8% energy savings for automatic trains and marks a significant milestone in the collaborative efforts to enhance sustainable urban transport. Annual savings are more than 15M kWh, which is equivalent to the electricity consumption of about 3000 households annually.
“We are encouraged by the positive energy savings achieved through our partnership with Hitachi Rail. Looking ahead, we are excited to target, and potentially exceed, a 15% reduction in annual traction power consumption over the next two years, making travel on the NSEWL more sustainable and greener,” Lam Sheau Kai, the President of SMRT Trains, said.
In 2023, Hitachi Rail and SMRT Trains partnered on the project to support SMRT’s goal to attain net zero by 2050.
The green CBTC next gen technology leverages advanced data analytics capabilities within the SelTrac signalling system to optimise energy usage, enabling operators such as SMRT, to achieve traction energy savings and contribute to environmental objectives.
Hitachi Rail deployed SelTrac CBTC for the re-signalling of Singapore’s North-South Line (NSL) and East-West Line (EWL) in 2017 and 2018 respectively and has introduced green CBTC next gen technology which features in the NSEWL network. The signalling system is responsible for the automatic control of the traction such as acceleration, braking and coasting.
“SMRT and Hitachi Rail have a long-standing partnership in Singapore and together we are now making passenger journeys greener than ever. This project, designed as energy saving-as-a-service, allows for greater power efficiency without disrupting passenger services, marking a pivotal step towards more sustainable urban transit system,” Ziad Rizk, Director, Urban Rail Signalling, Hitachi Rail, said.
With traction power accounting for 50% of energy with the SMRT Train’s network, Green CBTC Next Gen allows for the reduction in traction power by utilizing data analytics, inherently making passenger rides on the NSEWL greener.
The two companies will continue to focus on in-depth studies to further improve operational efficiency.
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