Morocco’s national rail operator, ONCF, is keeping the lights and heat on across its extensive fleet of trains thanks to the arrival of robust, refined and lightweight onboard generator sets.
Morocco’s rail network spans 2,067 km and helps keep more than 38 million Moroccans’ days on track every year. Run by national railway operator ONCF, the network links the north and south of the country from Tangier to Marrakesh. An east to west connection links Ouja to Rabat.
As part of a project to upgrade the organization’s fleet, 90 aging generator sets were assigned for replacement. These machines are mounted directly on trains to supply the power necessary to provide heating, lighting and other onboard services.
ONCF selected Italian generator set supplier CGM to develop a dependable new solution for its network. CGM, established in Vicenza, Italy in 1980, is a proven leader in manufacturing high quality, reliable generator sets. All the work it does is underpinned by cuttingedge research and development.
The company provides a broad range bof power options from 3 to 3,000 kVA, driven by petrol, diesel or natural gas/LPG, to meet the widescale needs of its customers.
Key product lines include lighting towers, engine-driven welders, tractormountable and other transportable generators, and other products designed to unique customer specifications. All of CGM’s equipment is carefully tested within the business and fully complies with industry regulations.
CGM was thrilled to have the opportunity of working with ONCF to develop an outstanding product that would meet the organisation’s strict demands for quality and reliability. At the heart of CGM’s solution lies the Perkins® 2506C-E15TAG2.
The 15 liter, 6 cylinder 2506C-E15TAG2 engine provides up to 625 kVA of power. Exceptional power-to-weight ratios and compact size allow the engines to deliver all the power the generator set requires without adding onerous levels of extra weight to each train. With mechanically operated unit fuel injectors, electronic control and carefully matched turbocharging, customers get high performance, low fuel consumption and low emissions.
The first batch of new generators was installed in July 2018 and 16 out of a total of 90 units have been supplied so far. Each generator is expected to operate for around 2,000 hours a year.
With such a quality-focused and exacting client to satisfy, CGM says Perkins was the natural choice of engine partner. “We want to improve our company know-how by studying and developing new and challenging projects, so we can become the leader in the generator sets sector,” said CGM’s managing director Stefano Chilese. “For this reason, we only use reliable products like those from Perkins, which give confidence to our customers. Our Moroccan customer was really satisfied with our engine choice.”