Trains in the Dhaka Metro Rail network, the country's first, will be powered by electricity from the national grid. But the metro trains have also been equipped with high-capacity batteries to ensure that they keep running during emergencies.
The Dhaka Mass Transport Company Limited (DMTCL), the project authorities, said the metro rail employs the energy storage system, or ESS, which means the trains' braking system will be used to recharge their batteries, according to a bdnews24.com report.
In case the power supply from the national grid is disrupted, the ESS will be activated to bring the metro trains to their nearest station.
The ESS is essentially a backup system which will be charged regularly through the train's regenerative braking system.
Rasono Tetsuya, an official at Marubeni-L&T JV, which provided the electronic and mechanical systems for the metro rail, said the ESS was supplied by the Japanese company Toshiba. The supply of UPS (uninterrupted power source) comes from Fuji Electric.
A metro rail train runs along the line at Dhaka’s Shewrapara as part of a test trip on Sunday, Dec 12, 2021. Photo: Asif Mahmud Ove
A metro rail train runs along the line at Dhaka’s Shewrapara as part of a test trip on Sunday, Dec 12, 2021. Photo: Asif Mahmud Ove
“The ESS captures the kinetic energy from braking and can be reused by the train at different times. In this way, electricity will be saved on the one hand, while it can also be used to keep the trains running in case of an emergency."
According to the DMTCL, there will be two receiving sub-stations in the Uttara Depot and Motijheel areas to ensure an uninterrupted power supply to the metro rail network. Both receiving sub-stations will have one additional transformer as a backup.
