Re Contract

ABB Ltd
17 April 2003



ABB wins US$ 26 million high-speed rail contract



Special power technology to raise efficiency and cut costs for Channel Tunnel



Zurich, Switzerland, April 17, 2003 - ABB said today that it has received a US$
26 million contract to build the power supply system for a new high-speed
railway between London and the English Channel Tunnel.



The contract was awarded by London Electricity Services, which owns and operates
the trackside electrical distribution infrastructure connected with the project.
ABB will design, supply, install and commission three 25 kilovolt (kV) feeder
substations and four 25 kV autotransformer stations for the Channel Tunnel Rail
Link project, which is scheduled for completion in 2006.

The ABB feeder substations and autotransformer stations are designed to lower
power transmission system voltage to the level required by the railway system.
ABB said its approach would increase efficiency and cut costs through fewer
track feeding points, fewer connections to the distribution grid, reduced losses
and the ability to support higher traction loads.

'Large projects like this one require special skills in power supply system
engineering, such as railway electrification, and ABB is a proven partner for
railway operators,' says Peter Smits, head of ABB Power Technologies division.



It is ABB's second recent contract with this project. It has already won an
order for the supply and installation of power transformers, static var
compensators and load balancing equipment.



ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable
utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering
environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100
countries and employs about 139,000 people.






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