ABB has announced that it won orders worth around USD 80 million from Swiss train manufacturer Stadler Rail for traction and onboard power equipment. ABB's scope of supply includes specially designed traction converters with integrated onboard power supplies as well as traction transformers and battery chargers.

Compact, lightweight ABB traction products convert electricity from overhead power lines to the voltage levels needed by a train's motors and a host of auxiliary power systems. The equipment will be installed in 50 double decker trains serving the busy commuter network in and around the Swiss city of Zurich. ABB will also provide specialized electrical equipment for Stadler Rail’s trains on routes between Switzerland and Italy.

Mr Tom Sjoekvist head of ABB’s Automation Products division said that "This contract highlights ABB's special capabilities as a supplier of leading edge technology to the rail industry."

The orders, booked in the fourth quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009, continue a highly productive strategic alliance between ABB and Stadler Rail begun in 2002. In 2008, ABB won orders from Stadler Rail to supply power electronics traction equipment for trains used in Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Switzerland.