KEC & Hindalco Develop India’s First Copper-Silver Contact Wire for Metro Railways
KEC International Ltd., in collaboration with Hindalco Industries Ltd. and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), has developed India’s first 150 sq.mm Copper-Silver (CuAg) contact wire* for use in metro railway systems.
This information was shared by KEC International via its LinkedIn post dated 9th May 2025.
*Contact wire is a current carrying component of overhead electrification infrastructure for railways. When deployed, it forms contact with the pantograph, and thus powers the traction system.
Designed for High-Speed, High-Temperature Performance – KEC Intl.
KEC shared that the aforementioned CuAg contact wire has been designed for high-speed and high-temperature applications.
Typically CuAg contact wires are made from an alloy of 99.9% Copper and 0.1% Silver. CuAg contact wires offer high resistance to wear and tear, thereby increasing their service life and maintenance cycle frequency. Use of CuAg alloy is also instrumental in increasing electrical and thermal conductivity of the contact wire, which increases transmission efficiency, and reduces the chances of breakage or sagging due to thermal stress.
Move Expected to Reduce India’s Copper-Silver Contact Wire Import Dependence
Currently, India mostly relies on imports for its CuAg contact wire needs. In 2023, the country imported 10,000 to 12,000 Metric Tonne (MT) of Copper-Silver contact wire. Out of this, about 70-80% was imported from Europe and China. Among European manufacturers, France’s Nexans, Italy’s Prysmian, and Belgium’s Lamifil are amongst major companies which supply to Indian metro projects such as Delhi Metro, Mumbai Metro, Chennai Metro and Bengaluru Metro. Amongst Chinese companies, Jiangsu Zhongtian Technology and TBEA are key suppliers of Copper-Silver contact wires to India.
The launch of India’s first indigenously developed CuAg contact wire by KEC, Hindalco and DMRC is a key step towards reducing these imports. This is not only important for India’s self-sufficiency, but also because it will decrease project cost since contact wire will be sourced domestically. However, as of now, no details are available about the scale at which domestic manufacturing of CuAg contact wires will be established.
About KEC International Limited: Headquartered in Maharashtra, KEC International is an EPC player with a significant name and presence in around 100 countries. Its segments include Urban, Infrastructure, Solar, Smart Infrastructure, Civil, Cable sector, Power Transmission and Distribution, Railways, and Oil and Gas pipelines.
About Hindalco Industries Ltd.: Mumbai-headquartered Hindalco Industries Limited is a key player in the Indian Aluminium and Copper manufacturing space. One of Asia’s largest producers of primary Aluminium, the company reported a consolidated revenue of Rs. 2,15,962 crore from its operations for FY-24.
