Part of The UK’s Largest Light Rail Network
Tratos cable will play a part in enabling the £350 million 5.5km Trafford Park line extension due to open in 2020.
The project, a Manchester Passenger Transport (MPT) Joint Venture (JV), has seen Tratos design, test and supply UV MDPE Earthing & Bonding cable. A durable and ruggedized bespoke design, the cable needed to meet the project’s electrical, physical and environmental requirements and Tratos employed Tramet compounds for the insulation and outer sheathing of the cable.
MPT JV, a consortium of VolkerRail, Laing O’Rourke and Thales, was keen to source and support North West manufacturing. It welcomed the direct access to Tratos’ technical and commercial teams and the local stock call off and JIT delivery service the company provides.
The new stretch of Manchester’s Metrolink, part of the city’s sustainable transport links, will have six new tram stops and serve some of the busiest visitor destinations.
The line runs through Trafford Park, Europe’s largest trading estate with more than 1,400 businesses employing more than 33,000 people.
Services will offer fast, frequent connections along the route and across the wider tram network. Trams will run on a largely traffic-free, segregated route, offering reliable journey times during peak hours and for major sporting, business and cultural events.
Metrolink is already the UK’s largest light rail network. It is just one of the high profile rail projects where Tratos is a partner. Continued investment and development has ensured the company can create a wide spectrum of specialised railways cable solutions in the UK: from Medium Voltage & High Voltage cable for connection to Substations and Switchgear, Data & Telecommunication Cable (Copper & Fibre Optic), Signalling Power & Control cables, Track Feeder cable, Station & Premises and Pantograph & Rolling Stock cable.
The company’s work with London Underground includes the supply of its Firesafe TW950e cable at Kings Cross St. Pancras Station.
Tratos also supplied more than 2,000,000 km of fully compliant axle counter, low voltage signalling power and control cable to Thales Ground Transportation Systems for the 4LM programme. This was a new London Underground (LU) issued specification.
All Tratos cables correspond to industry specifications and quality standards with bespoke solutions to customer’s specific application and approval requirements; for example, Network Rail Group standards and London Underground 1-085 Fire Safety Code of Materials, for Section 12 Stations Sub-Surface Railways.
The company is a member of the Railway Forum Midlands (RFM), the Rail Alliance and RIQS (Railway Industry Qualification System; formerly Rail Link-up) registered.
Technological innovation and innovative design form the cornerstone of the Tratos strategy for the Rail and Mass Transit Markets; supporting both SME’s (Small and Medium Enterprises) and Tier One rail sector companies. Tratos’ engineers provide solutions to requests during planning, design or installation, and throughout the life of a project. They provide new and cost-effective solutions, with cables specifically customised for their intended application.
Tratos believes cable manufacturers have their part to play in ensuring materials are secure; providing a range of options to make cable theft less profitable, increasing traceability of stolen cable by the British Police and thus deterring metal merchants from receiving and recycling stolen cable.
The company can also improve traceability of stolen conductors through markings and offers a range of marking services such as personalised embossed sheaths.