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 On 20 September 2015, Bombardier Transportation signed a contract to provide 62 TRAXX ac locomotives to Israel Railways (ISR) for a value of approximately US$262 million. The contract includes an option for an additional 32 locomotives. The TRAXX locomotive is based on a locomotive platform that has been used across Europe.
Designed for speeds up to 100 mph, the new TRAXX ac locomotives will be mainly used to power Israel’s fleet of 369 Bombardier Vario double-deck coaches currently in use. The locomotives also feature the Bombardier MITRAC TC 3300 ac traction converter as well as universal MITRAC drives, which include the latest generation of traction motors and gearboxes. ISR anticipates that the new locomotives will allow passenger trains of up to eight double-deck coaches or ten single-deck coaches to make the trip between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in 27 min or fewer. The NIS7 billion (US$2.6 billion) electrification of ISR will be at 25 kV, 50 Hz. Passenger trains will run at a maximum speed of 100 mi/h, while electrified freight trains will operate at a maximum speed of 75 mi/h. Passenger trains will operate in push-pull mode.
The intent is to electrify the entire 248 miles of ISR, starting with a high speed line from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In September 2015, ISR reached a major landmark in the construction of the first section of the high-speed railway from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, construction of the first section of the line in the Ayalon Valley, west of Jerusalem. This construction contract includes two 35-mile tracks from Tel Aviv’s HaHagana Station to the entrance of Jerusalem near the International Convention Center, including five tunnels totaling 12 miles and eight bridges. The target date for revenue service on the new line is January 2018.
Read the full article: IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine, Volume 11, Issue 1, March 2016 | 
