Hitachi Cable is announcing a new lineup of halogen-free heat resistant LAN cables for rolling stock as a part of our related product lineup. The products in this new lineup are highly heat resistant and can withstand temperatures of 90 deg C and satisfy the fire safety standards required in the EN*1.

As measures to reduce CO₂ emissions are being reinforced to mitigate global climate change in the recent years, railroad transportation is receiving attention for its low energy consumption and low CO₂ emissions per traffic volume, resulting in the reduction of global environmental load. Demand for wires and cables for rolling stock is increasing in overseas markets, including rapid railroad projects being implemented mainly in Europe and Asia. Demand for high-speed and large-capacity information and telecommunication services such as Internet connections and video sharing in rolling stock is spreading along with the implementation of rapid railroad projects. LAN cables specifically designed for Ethernet *2 connections in rolling stock are being used as communication lines inside rolling stock. Furthermore, Ethernet is gaining acceptance towards advanced features of railroad operation and control systems, and demand for LAN cables for Ethernet installation with cables for rolling stock vehicle control is also increasing.

In response to such needs, Hitachi Cable is introducing a product lineup of halogen-free heat resistant LAN cables for rolling stock with high heat resistance required for use in rolling stock and in Enhanced Category 5*3 which satisfies high fire safety standards required in the EN.
The halogen-free heat resistant LAN cables for rolling stock in this new lineup use special flame-resistant cross-linked polyethylene as sheaths. Hitachi Cable developed this special flame-resistant cross-linked polyethylene using polymer compounding technologies that the company has accumulated through the development of various types of wires and cables and realized high heat resistance up to temperatures of 90 deg C, which is much higher than the heat resistance of conventional products with resistance generally at temperatures of 60 deg C. The use of this flame-resistant cross-linked polyethylene developed for this lineup ensures a high level of fire safety required for wires and cables for rolling stock in the EN, which means high level of fire resistance, low smoke emission, and low toxicity. Furthermore, reducing the sheath thickness as much as possible while retaining a high level of fire resistance made the products resistant to thermal expansion and shrinkage and retain electric performance which satisfies Enhanced Category 5 under a high temperature environment of 90 deg C.

Hitachi Cable is committed to expanding the sales of wires and cables for rolling stock by conducting development to further improve the performance of products such as heat resistant LAN cables and enhancing its product lineup.

*1	EN stands for European Norm.
*2	Ethernet is a registered trademark of Fuji Xerox.
*3	Enhanced Category 5 is a standard for information wiring systems specified by ANSI (American National Standards Institute).