Trouble-free power for Finnish railways

Liikennevirasto (the Finnish Transport Agency) runs almost six thousand kilometers of tracks, crisscrossing Finland to provide some of the most beautiful passenger routes in the world. The rail lines are used by the government-owned passenger service; VR Group.

The Finnish rail network is already equipped with a Hitachi Energy MicroSCADA Pro system and RTU560 units to monitor and control its power system. The Agency was looking for a contract to cover any faults that might occur, and the routine, preventive maintenance of the system to minimize the risk of failure.

Hitachi Energy not only provided the monitoring and control equipment but also knew the challenges facing it. In a country where the temperature can drop to -35°C, with three thousand kilometers of electrified track to look after, it’s good to have an experienced team on board.

For the new Maharanibagh 400 kV GIS substation, an automation system based on the most modern technology is required. The station is located in the centre of New Delhi and supplies both commercial and residential areas. A very high system availability of 99.98 percent shall be ensured through field-proven IEDs and a redundancy concept for local operation as well as remote control and supervision from the Remote Control Centre (RCC) and Regional System Coordination Centre (RSCC) via IEC 101 protocol. Using components with verified IEC 61850 implementation as well as SCL-based tools, the vendor shall ensure a fully integrated and interoperable system that is easy to expand in the future.

As with any service agreement, the real advantage for the customer is confidence and predictability – with Hitachi Energy taking care of the equipment, Liikennevirasto turns an unpredictable expense into a known quantity. Finnish trains compete with domestic airlines for their passengers, and any interruption to service will damage the viability of their business.

Freight customers are a little more accommodating, but without a reliable power supply, that business too would be at risk.

Liikennevirasto was looking for a cost-effective solution that would meet the challenge of ensuring reliable monitoring and control of its power system. Hitachi Energy was able to provide that solution, including a Service Level Agreement (SLA) on the critical MicroSCADA Pro system.

As well as fixing faults, Hitachi Energy will carry out regular audits of the equipment, guide engineers in predictive maintenance programs, and advise Liikennevirasto on the best way to keep the network functioning at optimal efficiency.

The company already knew Hitachi Energy and had confidence in its products and services. That confidence is a critical factor in awarding any maintenance contract and Liikennevirasto knew it could trust Hitachi Energy. Outsourcing such a critical function can only work when the contracted company has the reputation, and ability, to deliver without question. Hitachi Energy is proud to be such a company.

Draw on the expertise of a market leader. Hitachi Energy offers a number of consultative services directly to electrical utilities, manufacturers, and contractors, aimed at supporting you in running your power system projects, more efficiently and economically.

Contact your local service and sales support team to discuss your requirements further.

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