Railway switches for the Orient/East-Mediterranean Corridor

Sissach, Switzerland, March 2020 – The Orient/East-Mediterranean corridor, connecting Central Europe to Athens and Istanbul, requires significant alignments of the railway lines. Together with its partner, Next Level Commercial Ltd. (NLC) in Sofia, R&S delivered and supported the installation of overhead-line switchgear used in traction electrification in Bulgaria.

The Orient/East-Med Corridor is the number 4 of the ten priority axes of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). It passes through nine member states of the European Union: Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Cyprus. It also provides a connection to Turkey. The priority of the TEN-T is to close gaps and strengthen the social, economic and territorial cohesion in the EU.

NLC was awarded several projects in 2019 by National Railway Infrastructure Company (NRIC) and Sofia Metro. R&S has been providing approx. 240 disconnectors and load-break switches with corresponding accessories to NLC.

Some specifications of the project:

Delivery and support of the installation of disconnectors and load-break switches
25 kV rated nominal voltage, 2000 A rated nominal current
Designed to meet the requirements of the project for a speed up to 220 km/h
High Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) and low Mean Time To Repair (MTTR)
Motor-drive has enough space enabling installation of wireless (Wi-Fi) module for remote control or installation of a module for control via fiber optic cable

R&S and NLC paid special attention to collaborate with the customers’ installation crews for focusing on the precise set-up of the devices. Working smooth and trouble-free, the products of R&S Rauscher & Stoecklin deliver safety, outstanding availability and low maintenance cost.

About Next Level Commercial Ltd.
NLC has been partner of R&S Rauscher & Stoecklin since 2014. The company provides marketing, sales, engineering and consulting services for railway and metro projects in Bulgaria and Macedonia.

About R&S Rauscher & Stoecklin
R&S Rauscher & Stoecklin is part of the Swiss-based R&S Group, a leading provider for power products in selected niches. The company, founded in 1919, is a well-established and experienced manufacturer of transformers, switchgear, and other electrical equipment.