Railcare has started test-driving the next-generation battery-powered maintenance machine for the railway.
In recent weeks, Railcare has been visited by ABB Traction Switzerland for the first test drive phase of the further developed MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle). A machine with both working and charging ability via the overhead line system.
“In this phase, we have completed several tests that have gone very well. In short, we have elevated the pantograph on the roof of the machine to the overhead line, and via the overhead line we charged the battery and ran the vacuum motors,” says Pär Nyström, Project Manager at Elpro, a company within Railcare Group.
This second-generation railway maintenance machine, which Railcare calls MPV2, will be powered by a pantograph that takes electricity directly from the overhead line and subsequently increases the machine’s efficiency. The batteries can also be charged through the same pantograph, which Railcare is probably among the first in the world to develop and implement for a machine of this size and capacity. A collaboration that Railcare has together with ABB.
“Combining electric power with the possibility of switching to battery power is an advantage on sites where there is no overhead line, or it is not working for some reason. For example, it is disconnected for safety reasons during maintenance work. This machine simply enables more efficient maintenance work,” says Pär.
This first part of the test run, carried out in Skelleftehamn together with ABB Traction Switzerland, included both control of the electrical installation and testing the communication between the different systems, where ABB was very pleased with the outcome.
In the next step, the Swedish Transport Agency will approve the machine to be used on the Swedish railway. This will be followed by training for Railcare’s machine operators, and then finally be used in contracting operations by the autumn of 2024.
“This further development of an already innovative and sustainable machine is an important signal to other players in the industry, both nationally and internationally. The MPV is part of the fact that maintenance like “pit stops in Formula 1” can be conducted on the railway”, concludes Mattias Remahl, CEO of Railcare.
