Liebherr Partners with SNCF in the “Train du Climat” Initiative

Within the frame of the United Nations’ Agenda 21 for Sustainable Development and prior to the 21st session of the United Nations’ Conference on Climate Change (COP21), which takes place in Paris from November 30 to December 11, SNCF is running its so-called “Train du Climat” (train of the climate) across France’s major cities. This train highlights the initiatives the French railway operator is undertaking to contribute to a more eco-friendly rail transportation system.

New-generation railway air-conditioning system by Liebherr

Liebherr-Aerospace & Transportation SAS, based in Toulouse (France), has developed an air cycle technology demonstrator which is currently being tested in one of the regional trains operated by French Public Railways Operator SNCF, financed by the Région Midi-Pyrénées (Southern France).

The air cycle technology is a next-generation heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) technology derived from aerospace applications. It offers substantial savings in life cycle costs, thus reducing significantly the total operating costs of HVAC units over a train’s lifetime.

Since the air cycle technology uses air as refrigerant instead of the usual chemical refrigerants (ozone-depleting fluorinated greenhouse gases), it offers better environmental performance. In addition to the fact that the unit is refrigerant leakage-free, its simplified design and reduced number of parts, which are easy to exchange, make it much more reliable and cheaper to maintain than units that operate with the traditional vapour cycle technology. Furthermore, the HVAC system based on air cycle technology continues to provide cooling even at very high temperatures, e.g. during summertime, and does not shut down.

As of today, the air cycle technology is the sole technology that can demonstrate a successful in-service track record as an alternative to the chemical refrigerants, which have been gradually subject to bans over the last decades due to their strong ozone layer-depletion effect.

Liebherr-Transportation Systems – Renowned Manufacturer of Railway Technology

Liebherr-Aerospace & Transportation SAS in Toulouse (France) is one of eleven divisional control companies in the Liebherr Group and coordinates all activities in the fields of transportation and aviation equipment. It employs around 4,900 people worldwide.

Liebherr’s transportation systems division deals with air conditioning, hydraulic actuation systems and electronic components for rail vehicles of all kinds, and is backed by many years of experience in the development and manufacture of these technologies. In addition to its own sales and service centers, the division has access to the Group’s development and service facilities around the world. This global set-up means that Liebherr-Transportation Systems is there for its customers wherever they may be.