Rolls-Royce retrofits new gear transmissions to mtu PowerPacks for Irish Rail

• mtu PowerPacks equipped with new ZF EcoWorld transmissions
• Fuel savings up to 19% estimated

Rolls-Royce and the state railways of the Republic of Ireland have signed a contract for rebuilding three mtu PowerPacks. The PowerPacks are deployed to drive a Class 22000 Irish Rail railcar and are to be reconstruct with new EcoWorld transmissions from ZF to make them both more efficient and even quieter in operation. The diesel multiple unit circulates on the Dublin – Cork line and following the PowerPack rebuilds will boast savings of up to 19% in both fuel and CO₂.

Peter Smyth, Chief Mechanical Engineer at Irish Rail, said: “We have been seeking a more efficient drive solution and Rolls-Royce has advised us on what would be the perfect concept. Their calculations showed that we would be able to make significant fuel savings if we replaced the current gear transmissions with EcoWorld units from ZF.”

The order gives credit to the systems competence of Rolls-Royce as a rail industry partner: “Today, what we do doesn't stop at just selling a new engine to a customer – we provide him with a complete drive solution to suit his needs,” said Jürgen Blassmann, head of rail business at the Power Systems business unit. “Using our state-of-the-art simulation equipment and a hardware-in-the-loop test stand, we were able to design the best concept for the needs of Irish Rail.”

mtu PowerPacks are compact drive system packages that incorporate not only the engine and transmission but everything else required for rail traction including the cooling system and exhaust aftertreatment. mtu was the first supplier to develop this concept for worldwide use over 20 years ago. Since then over 6,800 PowerPacks have been delivered to rail customers all over the world.