Meet us at Innotrans 2026

 A breakthrough solution for winter‑proof pantograph performance

Winter conditions pose a serious threat to the reliability of rail operations, as ice formation on the catenary wire can trigger electrical arcing, damage the aluminium carrier of the pantograph contact strip, and ultimately lead to costly service interruptions. 
To address this challenge at its source, Mersen has engineered MERSEN Arc Protect, a pioneering all‑season coating designed to safeguard the pantograph carrier during harsh winter conditions. This lightweight, high‑thermal‑resistance protection - capable of withstanding temperatures above 300°C - prevents arcing damage without adding the extra mass of traditional deflectors. After multiple arc events, including long‑duration ones, the carrier shows no degradation, ensuring extended lifetime of the contact strip, reduced maintenance needs, and improved fleet availability. 

With MERSEN Arc Protect, operators gain a reliable, durable, and design‑flexible solution that keeps trains running smoothly even in the most demanding environments.

A new generation of onboard railway disconnectors: compact, reliable and built for sustainable mobility

At InnoTrans, Mersen is introducing its new onboard railway disconnector, engineered to meet the highest market expectations for performance, reliability and environmental responsibility. 

This latest generation features optimized compactness, especially in depth, enabling easier integration into constrained environments and offering greater flexibility for rolling‑stock manufacturers and operators. Its streamlined architecture, with fewer components, enhances reliability by reducing potential failure points and simplifying maintenance. 

Designed with a strong sustainability focus, the disconnector incorporates advanced eco‑design, highly recyclable materials and a significant share of recycled content, fully aligned with the sector’s ecological transition. This new platform also strengthens Mersen’s industrial and commercial agility, allowing faster responses to customer needs from tendering to production. 

Made for long-lasting pantograph contact strips

Introducing a new pure carbon grade specifically dedicated to AC railway current collection, AR229 has been developed to enhance the lifespan of pantograph contact strips through improved mechanical behavior and smoother sliding performance. The result: less maintenance and a more stable performance in operation. Designed to address operational constraints observed in service, this new grade improves resistance to wear and mechanical degradation, supporting longer component lifetime. Its sliding properties enable a more controlled interaction with the overhead line, helping to preserve both the contact strip and the infrastructure.

 The grade meets railway safety requirements, including TSI and EN45545.

Mersen has developed a fully integrated busbar‑capacitor subsystem that replaces complex customer assemblies with a single, precision‑welded, fully tested unit. Our selective welding technology ensures controlled geometry and repeatable low‑inductance connections, eliminating imperfect interfaces and reducing parasitic inductance for improved switching performance and system efficiency. 

The welding process is fully certified and controlled, compliant with IPC‑A‑610, and scalable from automated high‑volume production to customized small batches.

By consolidating multiple components into one qualified part, the solution removes an entire assembly stage, shortens integration time, and reduces workshop iterations. Factory‑controlled welding and testing significantly lower the risks of assembly errors, rework, and scrap. 

With a single supplier and a single validated subsystem, customers benefit from a streamlined supply chain, reduced operational burden, and a lower total cost of ownership.

Mersen brings decades of global expertise in thermal management, power distribution, semiconductor protection through high-speed fuse technologies, and energy storage, helping OEMs and systems integrators meetthe increasing demand for higher power density and more compact architectures required in today’s rail traction systems and onboard power electronics. At InnoTrans, we present one of the industry's most comprehensive portfolios, combining complementary technologies engineered to reduce inductance, improve thermal performance, enhance reliability, and simplify integration across high-performance rail platforms.