en.Wedoany.com Reported - On June 11, 2026, Schneider Electric hosted the "Next Stop, Smart Future – 2026 Locomotive Industry Salon and Locomotive Smart Circuit Breaker Launch Event," unveiling a new-generation smart rail transit solution equipped with solid-state technology. This solution propels the electrical systems of rail transit from traditional mechanical protection to a microsecond-level, data-driven solid-state era.
Zhang Fan, Vice President of the Terminal Distribution Product Marketing Department for Energy Management Low Voltage Business at Schneider Electric, stated that rail transit is moving toward a new stage of intelligent, green, and efficient collaborative development. The newly launched smart rail transit solution applies solid-state technology to the rail transit field, achieving generational product innovation and helping the industry restructure power distribution logic while advancing digitalized operation and maintenance.
Under the guidance of China's Urban Rail Transit Smart City Rail Development Outline, the focus of China's rail transit industry has shifted from large-scale construction to safe operation, cost reduction and efficiency improvement, and low-carbon energy savings. Trends such as intelligent locomotives, unmanned operations, and lightweight, low-carbon designs are emerging. Traditional mechanical circuit breakers struggle to fully meet the precision and high integration demands of smart city rail in areas like real-time monitoring, intelligent maintenance, and integrated design, necessitating new solutions from smart power distribution technology.
Schneider Electric combines highly reliable solid-state technology with the stringent operating environment of rail transit. The newly launched locomotive smart circuit breaker features a breaking capacity of 50kA. Based on arc-free solid-state semiconductor technology, this product can achieve fault interruption in less than 1 millisecond (microsecond level), eliminating the arc safety risks of DC circuit breakers. With no electrical wear, it offers an ultra-long operational life of millions of cycles, reducing on-site inspection frequency and total lifecycle costs.
This smart circuit breaker supports round-the-clock real-time monitoring of full electrical parameters such as voltage, current, and power, and includes fault recording functionality to capture waveforms before and after faults. Its line pre-check feature identifies load characteristics before each closing, controlling switch operations to avoid load startup surges. The product integrates four major functions—line protection, remote control, remote signaling, and remote measurement—into a single 25mm unit, achieving a 44.4% volume reduction compared to traditional solutions. The incoming end features an integrated busbar design, with a built-in Ethernet interface for direct connection to the locomotive TCMS system. Setting current can be adjusted via software parameters without hardware replacement, allowing one product to adapt to multiple vehicle models. This solution meets the IEC61373 anti-vibration standard for onboard rail transit equipment.
At the launch event, Schneider Electric R&D experts shared application results from collaboration with CRRC Qingdao Sifang Locomotive and Rolling Stock Co., Ltd. on the "Jinan Rail Transit Line 8 Project," validating the performance of solid-state technology in arc-free protection and lightweight design for onboard DC loads. During the roundtable forum held that day, Schneider Electric and industry technical experts discussed industry development trends, existing technical pain points, the role of solid-state circuit breakers in empowering industrial upgrades, and the potential for AI to reshape the rail transit industry landscape. Attendees reached a consensus that solid-state devices serve as the foundation for rail transit digitalization and a core entry point for future AI-enabled smart maintenance, digital twins, and full lifecycle management.
Schneider Electric stated that it will continue to deepen technological innovation, leverage global resources and local ecosystem partners in China, and rely on solid-state technology and digital capabilities to explore pathways for full lifecycle management and intelligent upgrades of smart locomotives.
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