Tratos' new generation of enhanced fire performance cables for high-speed rail

Tratos is a European manufacturer of electrical, electronic and fibre optic cable solutions; with five manufacturing facilities in both in Italy and in the United Kingdom, combining half a century's worth of experience and development.

Originally established in 1966 in Pieve Santo Stefano, Tuscany, the company has expanded exponentially in the last fifty years and now has a total of 400+ employees with sales presence on five continents. In 1981 the company established in the UK with Tratos Ltd with the acquisition of a manufacturing facility in Knowsley, and in recent years has been investing significantly in new and improved manufacturing and distribution at this facility in the North-West of England.

Continued investment and development has ensured that Tratos can create a wide spectrum of specialised railways cable solutions in the UK: from Medium Voltage & High Voltage cable for connection to Substations and Switchgear, Data & Telecommunication Cable (Copper & Fibre Optic), Signalling Power & Control cables, OLE cable (Overhead Line Equipment), Track Feeder cable, Station & Premises and Pantograph & Rolling Stock cable.

Tratos has supplied Frecciarossa; the Italian Railways on the project "Alta Velocità", and the 'Rome-Naples' high-speed train was inaugurated on schedule thanks to the fire resistant fibre optic cable from Tratos. Years of significant investment in equipment, materials and human resources have led to the development of this fire resistant optic cable, which has passed the Italferr and IMQ testing requirements.
The dynamism and multi-functional capabilities of the fibre optic department, in collaboration with in-house special-compound manufacturer Tramet; has produced a low smoke, zero halogen optical cable of exceptionally high performance.


All manufactured Tratos cables correspond to industry specifications and quality standards with bespoke solutions to customer's specific application and approval requirements; such as Network Rail Group standards and London Underground 1-085 Fire Safety Code of Materials, for Section 12 Stations Sub-Surface Railways. All these factors have granted Tratos notable customers within the Rail and Mass Transit markets such as: Alstom Transport, Bombardier Transportation, CAF Rail, Docklands Light Railway (TfL), London Underground (TfL), RVEL (Rail Vehicle Engineering Ltd) and Thales Rail Signalling Solutions; whilst also being a members of the Railway Industry Association, the Rail Alliance and RIQS (Railway Industry Qualification System; formerly Rail Link-up) registered.


Technological innovation and innovative design form the cornerstone of the Tratos strategy for the Rail and Mass Transit Markets; supporting both SME's (Small and Medium Enterprises) and Tier One rail-sector companies. Tratos' experienced engineers provide solutions to requests during planning, design or installation, and indeed throughout the life of a project. They provide novel and cost-effective solutions, with cables specifically customised for their intended application.


To monitor and guarantee the quality of cables within the supply chain and user market, Tratos supports the work of the Approved Cables Initiative (ACI), an industry-wide working group with supply chain representative bodies that has been established to address the issue of unsafe, unapproved and counterfeit cable entering the UK marketplace. The first initiative of its kind in the electrical industry; the ACI is direct in its approach to investigate and publicise the findings of cables found to be of poor quality, faulty, counterfeit or non-compliant with British, European or International Standards.



In terms of security on the national rail network, Tratos believes cable manufacturers have their part to play; providing a range of options to make cable theft less profitable, increasing traceability of stolen cable by the British Police and thus deterring metal merchants from receiving and re-cycling stolen cable. Tratos can also improve traceability of stolen conductors through markings; offering a range of marking services; examples such as personalised embossed sheaths. Furthermore, Tratos can emboss both copper and aluminium conductors on strand sizes above 2.0mm diameter and can incorporate identity threads registered to the specific manufacturer.  The first option involves placing the thread amongst the copper or aluminium strands. The latter allows for a 2.0mm or larger strand to be placed in smaller sized cables and reach required resistance/conductor size with smaller wires. Both options, even if burned or stripped down to the metal, ensure identification.


Tratos remains at the forefront of the market through innovation; supported by constant development and investment within the cable manufacturing facilities themselves, but also Research and Development - forming a comprehensive combination so as to create the essential team equipped to provide for the client's needs.

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