Kolkata: Metro Railway, Kolkata, on Saturday successfully conducted field testing of an indigenously developed DC to DC chopper converter at the Noapara Carshed, marking a key step towards upgrading the propulsion system of ageing ICF rakes operating on the Blue Line.
The trial involved a bogie fitted with two DC traction motors and was aimed at assessing whether the modified propulsion unit could effectively drive a train.
The testing was inaugurated by Metro Railway General Manager Subhransu Sekhar Mishra in the presence of senior officials and faculty members from IIT Kharagpur.
The project is part of a collaboration between Metro Railway, Kolkata and IIT Kharagpur, formalised through a memorandum of understanding to improve the efficiency of 13 ICF rakes equipped with BHEL propulsion systems. Officials said the new DC–DC chopper would enable regenerative braking, allowing trains to generate electricity during braking and significantly reduce overall energy consumption.
According to Metro Railway, the developed unit will replace multiple existing components, including the camshaft controller, equipment box and starting resistor. This is expected to reduce the overall weight of the rakes while ensuring smoother, jerk-free acceleration and deceleration.
The design of the converter was first validated through computer simulation and laboratory testing before being taken up for field trials. The development was carried out under the guidance of IIT Kharagpur professors, with active involvement of Metro Railway’s rolling stock officials.
Metro authorities said the technology would deliver performance comparable to three-phase propulsion systems while retaining the existing DC traction motors, eliminating the need for bogie modification to accommodate three-phase induction motors. Officials described the system as fully indigenous and said it would be deployed for the first time in an Indian metro network once implemented.
The general manager congratulated the Metro Railway team and the IIT Kharagpur group led by professors Souvik Chatterjee and Goutam Poddar on the successful testing.