Rail technology leader Bombardier Transportation joined Swedish government officials and Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara AB (LKAB), the international high technology mineral group, to celebrate the inauguration of the deepest new production level at the Kiruna iron ore mine in northern Sweden.
Bombardier's state-of-the-art, fully automated INTERFLO 150 train control technology for the mining and industrial sector will enable operations 1,365 m below the surface at the world's largest underground iron ore mine. The system is set to secure and increase production for the next 15 to 20 years. Annie Lööf, Sweden's Minister of Enterprise, Lars-Eric Aaro, CEO and President of LKAB, and Marcus Wallenberg, Chairman of LKAB, attended the inauguration.
Bombardier provided the system as a subcontractor to Midroc Electro, which is delivering a fully automatic process control and train transportation system to LKAB for the new mining level. This first stage of operations will be followed by four more stages to include additional process areas, rolling stock equipment and further signalling to be completed by 2017.
Developed for industrial and underground mining railways, the INTERFLO 150 train control solution greatly enhances operations and capacity while maximising safety. The Kiruna mine is the most advanced underground mine in the world and has been operating for more than a century. This project highlights how Bombardier's innovative technology increases productivity and contributes to the development of the region and one of Sweden's key industries.
The driverless INTERFLO 150 computer-based system is fully integrated with a mine's loading and logistics systems and enables automatic route setting and dispatching. Its moving block technology allows trains to operate safely with shorter headways and improves the use of track and rolling stock as well as energy efficiency and production capacity. Interfaces to production administration and weighing equipment in the track provide statistical input.
The scope of delivery at Kiruna also included two BOMBARDIER EBI Screen traffic control centre systems plus wayside equipment controlling 57 EBI Switch point machines and 180 balises. Bombardier also supplied EBI Cab automatic train protection / operation (ATP/ATO) onboard equipment for nine production (ATO only) and four service locomotives.
Bombardier has a strong track record of more than a decade in providing INTERFLO 150 for some of the largest and most prominent mining operations in the world, situated in remote and challenging environments. Its dedicated global business unit focused on train control and automation solutions for the mining and industrial market is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, with teams based across the world. Projects operating today include the Esmeralda and Teniente copper mines in Chile and delivery is underway in Indonesia.
With its full suite of INTERFLO mainline technology, Bombardier has been servicing the freight market for more than 100 years. Its experience encompasses the world's first mainline, moving block application for heavy freight, the Uzen to Bolashak line in Kazakhstan; the Luleå to Narvik line, one of the oldest iron ore lines in the Nordic region; the La Loma- Santa Marta heavy haul line in Colombia and the world's first European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) Regional system on the Repbäcken-Malung line in Sweden.