Wabtec’s Green Friction Technology Begins Commercial Operations in Paris, Improving Air Quality in Rail Tunnels
Wabtec Corporation’s (NYSE: WAB) Green Friction braking solution is ready to begin commercial fleet operations on the RER A rail line in the greater Paris metropolitan area, in association with Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM) and RATP.
The innovative brake friction material will improve air quality in the transit authority’s tunnels and underground network by reducing particle emissions from braking.
Green Friction brake linings will be deployed on all MI09 trains operating on the RER A line starting this year, benefiting more than one million daily passengers. This commercial launch follows extensive testing in association with RATP and IDFM. Wabtec tested its Green Friction materials on ten RER A trains for over a year to confirm its effectiveness. The solution covered over a million kilometers of testing and demonstrated the capability to reduce emissions from the train braking by an average of 70 percent, up to 90 percent. The reductions are achieved without compromising safety or performance, while minimizing the impact on operating costs.
"Particulate matter emissions from train braking are a worldwide challenge” said Philippe Nogues-Cubelles, Vice President Friction at Wabtec. “Green Friction tackles the source of the fine particle problem. Today, Wabtec is the only company in the rail industry offering operational, rapidly deployable and cost-effective equipment to reduce pollution levels linked to braking."
Green Friction is a unique range of materials designed to eliminate fine particles emitted during braking. It is the result of both Wabtec’s expertise in friction materials and the company’s significant investment in accurately measuring braking-particle emissions. The Green Friction product portfolio was developed in 2019 to meet current and future regulatory standards regarding air pollution and friction performance.
Several metro networks in other cities in France, as well as in Europe and Asia have expressed interest in the Green Friction innovative technology for their fleets.
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