According to Midtjyske Jernbaner, the contract award follows a “large and complex” EU tender. A detailed design and approval process awaits before final construction at Lemvig Station can begin, expected in autumn 2024, the firm added.
In June, Denmark’s transport minister Thomas Danielsen broke ground at Lemvig Station in west Denmark for the new transformer and charging facility, which will supply electricity for Denmark's first battery train.
The historic sod marked the beginning of a major task for Midtjyske Jernbaner, which has since carried out an extensive EU tender to select the future supplier of the transformer and charging facility. Efacec won the tender for “a double-digit million sum,” Midtjyske Jernbaner revealed. The plant is expected to open in autumn 2024 and be ready for operation from March 2025.
“We are very satisfied that we have completed another milestone in our battery train project and have now signed a contract with Efacec for the delivery of the facility which is the foundation for us to be able to run battery trains at all. At Midtjyske Jernbaner, we have an ambition to become Denmark's greenest railway, and now we are taking another important step in that direction,” said Midtjyske Jernbaner chairman, Arne Lægaard.
Efacec is already a well-known supplier of transformer stations and traction current systems for the Danish railway network. In connection with the establishment of Midtjyske Jernbaner's transformer and charging system for battery trains, Efacec will cooperate with Danish Bravida, which is very experienced in the high current field.
Midtjyske Jernbaner has purchased seven battery trains, which will run with central and west Jutland customers on the sections Vemba-Lemvig-Thyborøn (also called Lemvigbanen) and Holstebro-Skjern. The battery trains, which have been put into production by Siemens Mobility, are expected to be delivered during 2024.
Before the trains can be put into operation on the Danish rails, they must go through a lengthy approval process, as this is a new type of train in Denmark. The battery trains are expected to come into operation when the new transformer and charging facility at Lemvig Station is expected to be completed in March 2025.
The facility from Efacec, which will supply Midtjyske Jernbaner's battery trains with power, will consist of several different elements. Among them, a large transformer station is to be built on Banegårdsvej in Lemvig. Here, current of 10,000 volts must be distributed to Midtjyske Jernbaner's workshop, so that the battery trains can be charged while they are in service, etc.
In addition, the power must be carried on to the large charging facility, which is now to be built at Lemvig Station. Here, two more transformers must ensure the conversion of the 10,000 volts to 25,000 volts.
“It is crucial for us and for our customers that our battery train can be charged quickly,” said CEO of Midtjyske Jernbaner Martha Vrist. “By setting up a power supply with 25,000 volts above each of the three tracks at Lemvig Station, we will be able to charge our battery trains in less than 10 minutes, while customers get on and off.”