Switzerland: ABB Celebrates 125th Anniversary
Image courtesy of ABB
ABB Celebrates 125th Anniversary
To start ABBs anniversary year, a Rhaetian Railways Allegra train will act as a display board for a timeline of ABBs history in Switzerland and internationally, with a collection of facts and graphics displayed on the trainset.
The inside and outside of the train was designed with ABB anniversary branding. Over the course of the World Economic Forum, the train will initially run from Landquart to Davos, before running on other Rhaetian Railways routes.
The iconic Rhaetian Railways celebrated its 125th birthday last year, whos own notable history includes its inclusion of its Albula and Bernina lines to the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 2008.
ABBs anniversary will be marked throughout the year with events and celebrations representatives of the company will be prominent guests at the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in June. ABB provided a wide range of technologies which deliver a secure power supply to the tunnels infrastructure and ventilation systems.
ABBs predecessor company, BBC, was founded in 1891 in Baden by Charles Brown and Walter Boveri, who quickly established themselves as engineering pioneers, with an eye on electricity as the power supply of the future. In 1913 BBC delivered the first trains for the Albula line as well as acting as one of the driving forces behind the electrification of the Swiss rail network, especially for the Gotthard line in the 1920s.
BBC became ABB in 1988 when it merged with Swedens ASEA, forming the power and automation technology arm of the group, providing electrical systems for trains and railway infrastructure.
The Allegra train is accordingly fitted with an energy-efficient drive package designed and manufactured by ABB, which generates electricity on descending parts of the route in order to power back up the mountains. The technology consists of compact power converters and transformers specifically designed for the tough conditions in the Graubnden mountains.
The Allegra train was manufactured by Stadler Rail, who have worked in collaboration with ABB since 2002. Stadler Rail has used ABB traction equipment on 1,500 regional trains and 300 light rail vehicles.
ABBs core manufacturing activities take place in Switzerland, developing and producing railway power converters in the town of Turgi in the canton of Aargau, and traction transformers in Geneva. ABB has installation bases around the world, delivering life cycle services such as maintenance, upgrades and retrofits on light rail, regional and high speed trains.
