Hong Kong, January 21st, 2015 - Saft, the world's leading designer and manufacturer of high-tech industrial batteries, has been awarded a million Euro, three-year, contract by Siemens AG to provide MRX onboard battery systems for the fleet of new generation driverless Inspiro metro trainsets currently under construction for Malaysia's Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT) project. The contract establishes Saft as the leader in Malaysia's rail market as well as reinforcing its position as a key supplier of battery systems for Asia's fast growing rail sector.

The 51 kilometer Sungai Buloh - Kajang (SBK) Line of the KVMRT project is scheduled to open in two phases; in December 2016 and July 2017. The SBK Line will add to Kuala Lumpur's existing 70 kilometer urban rail network (comprising LRT and monorail lines), which will help to alleviate chronic traffic congestion in the capital city and its surrounding areas.

This will help the government to achieve its target of having 50% of all journeys in the Klang Valley region made on public transport, by the year 2025. This will be aided by two additional MRT lines in the city, expected to have a combined distance of more than 100 kilometers.

Siemens is constructing 58, four-car, Inspiro metro trainsets that will be assembled in a new Malaysian plant in Rasa, Hulu Selangor. They will operate on the 51 km Sungai Buloh-Kajang (SBK) line that will have 31 stations serving 1.2 million people.

The KVMRT trains, themed 'The Guiding Light', will be capable of carrying around 300 passengers at a frequency of one train every 3.5 minutes during peak hours. In order to maintain this high frequency of service, two 110 V, 100 Ah Saft MRX battery systems will be installed on each trainset to deliver emergency backup and traction power if the main power supply is interrupted.

This is the first project in which Saft has cooperated with Siemens to supply the onboard battery systems for the new generation Inspiro metro trains, which use lightweight construction and advanced propulsion to optimize energy consumption. The MRX batteries offer a major size and volume advantage of around 30 percent compared with conventional batteries, making them the perfect complement to the innovative, eco-friendly Inspiro platform.

"Driverless metro systems call for absolute safety, performance and reliability of every onboard system. So when Siemens came to specify the battery systems for the KVMRT, our MRX batteries were the clear choice thanks to their outstanding track record established over years of service in prestigious railway projects worldwide," says Xavier Delacroix, General Manager of Saft's IBG Division

Saft MRX rail batteries

Saft MRX batteries are the ideal choice for this type of metro application as they have been purpose-designed to deliver maximum performance, reliability and low TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). They provide the low maintenance and long service life benefits of sintered/PBE technology within a slim, light-weight block battery package.

The MRX design is extremely reliable and does not suffer from the 'sudden death' which can affect some batteries, even in extreme temperatures ranging from - 30° to + 70°C.

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