Posted to News on 9th Dec 2024, 11:30
Mitsubishi Electric partners with Sella Controls for Tyne and Wear Metro project
A major contract for the refurbishment of traction power systems on the Tyne and Wear Metro has been won by Sella Controls utilising Mitsubishi Electric Automation Systems hardware.
(See Mitsubishi Electric at Machine Building North, 10 April 2025, on stand 81)
The contract for the refurbishment of 47 substations on the Metro is the result of ten years research and development collaboration between Mitsubishi Electric and Sella Controls to develop a commercially off-the-shelf solution for rail traction power management, called Tracklink RTU.
The Tyne and Wear Metro is the latest and biggest win to date for Tracklink RTU, which features Mitsubishi Electric i-QR PLCs and panel-mounted GOT HMIs, to deliver a flexible and cost-effective solution for electrical substation automation.
Tracklink RTU was given Network Rail Final Product Acceptance in 2021 and has since been granted final certification. The system has rapidly developed an extensive installed base across mainline rail systems with 120 live substations now on the UK's electrified rail network. The Tyne and Wear Metro win is the first time the system has been specified, for an urban metro system.
The Tyne and Wear Metro is an overground and underground light rail rapid transit system serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, and the City of Sunderland. Opened in 1980 it is widely regarded as the first modern light rail system in the UK.
Both Mitsubishi Electric and Sella Controls have developed strong credentials in the rail sector in recent years. Mitsubishi Electric products have been used in HS1 tunnel ventilation, escalator control for Transport for London and train movement systems on the Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines.
In addition to this project, Sella Controls has worked for Docklands Light Rail, London Trams, Irish Rail and Manchester Metrolink; all which have featured products from the Mitsubishi Electric portfolio.
Chris Elliott, Sales Director, Global Account Management - Rail, at Sella Controls says: "We have long believed that Tracklink RTU is the ideal solution for urban metro systems, and we are delighted that the UK's first true light rail system that has stood the test of time is the first to use our solution. I would like to thank Tyne and Wear Metro and our partners, Mitsubishi Electric, for their unstinting support in helping us win this contract and we are confident that Tracklink RTU can usher in a new era for the metro system."
David Bean, Business Development Group Manager at Mitsubishi Electric Automation Systems UK, says the win confirms Tracklink RTU's status as a high-quality rail traction power management system: "This win is the result of ten years of work between Mitsubishi Electric and Sella Controls to develop a rail traction power management system that is equally suitable for inter-city, regional, commuter and light rail systems. We look forward to working closely with Tyne and Wear Metro and Sella Controls during the roll-out."
