# MISC | Power Supply to your Country's Railway



## Obelixx (Apr 14, 2005)

The railway power supply stems for railway systems can be sometimes very interesting. For example in counties using single phase AC which has not the same frequency than that of the public power grid often operate a seperate power grid. So Germany and Austria have a 110 kV-single phase AC grid for railways, Switzerland such of 132 kV and 66 kV. In some parts of Scandinavia also such grids exist.

See also

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ification_in_Germany,_Austria_and_Switzerland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_power_supply_system_of_railways_in_Norway
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_power_supply_system_of_railways_in_Sweden
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traction_power_network
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/25_Hz_Power_Transmission_System
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariazellerbahn


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## urbanfan89 (May 30, 2007)

In Canada...none. At all.


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## future.architect (Jun 10, 2004)

it is prety much accepted that overhead wires energised at 25,000 volts ac is the 'standard' system for heavy railways. it is better, more efficiant but also more expensive system than 3rd rail systems. in the UK, 25k overhead is standard apart from some 2 areas of 750dc 3rd rail around south london and liverpool.


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## Obelixx (Apr 14, 2005)

The usage of a third rail for overland railways is in my opinion a large security problem!


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## WatcherZero (Jul 2, 2009)

Only if people piss on it...


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## bluemeansgo (Oct 28, 2008)

urbanfan89 said:


> In Canada...none. At all.


What are you talking about? Almost every train in Canada is electric. Electricity powers the engines... the electricity is generated by an onboard diesel motor.


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## NiGhtPiSH (May 14, 2009)

In Bulgaria we use the standard 25 kV / 50 Hz electrification for our lines and nearly all main lines are electrified.


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## makita09 (Sep 8, 2009)

future.architect said:


> it is prety much accepted that overhead wires energised at 25,000 volts ac is the 'standard' system for heavy railways. it is better, more efficiant but also more expensive system than 3rd rail systems. in the UK, 25k overhead is standard apart from some 2 areas of 750dc 3rd rail around south london and liverpool.


And the 1500kv DC Newcastle metro overhead electrification.


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## MarcVD (Dec 1, 2008)

Belgium is mainly 3 kV DC - the first wires have been installed in 1935
between Brussels and Antwerp, and at that time, this was the best
electrification technology available. There are a few lines electrified with
the 25 kV 50 Hz system - four high-speed lines, and two lines recently
put under wires, for which the 3 kV DC system would not have been
economically feasible. That makes the belgian network almost totally
electrified, with only 5 lines remaining with diesel traction.

Technically, all belgian railways AC to DC substations are fed by the national
power grid with aerial or underground 3-phase lines, usually 70 kV. AC to
AC substations are fed by one phase only. AC to DC rectification is all done
with semiconductors now, all old systems (rotating groups, a.s.o.) having
disappeared. There is no railways-dedicated power grid, like it exists in
16.7 Hz territory. All substations and switching equipment is remote-controlled, there are no manned installations.

Contact line is of the catenary type everywhere on the main line, trolley
type contact line still existing only in some sidings. DC catenary uses four
wires, AC one uses two wires only. Supports are of the frame type, two
masts supporting one beam that spans both tracks.

Energy bills have increased by a factor 4 in the last 10 years. More trains,
more power per train, raising prices of the energy unit cost, all of that
contributed to that increase. Railway management hasn't figured out how
to deal with that problem yet.


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## future.architect (Jun 10, 2004)

makita09 said:


> And the 1500kv DC Newcastle metro overhead electrification.


but that is not part of the national rail network. if i mentioned newcastle then i would have had to mention london underground and all of the tram systems in the uk and i did not feel this would be relevant to the thread.


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## invincible (Sep 13, 2002)

Victoria and NSW use 1500 V DC. These networks were electrified 90-100 years ago when this standard was a lot more common. Queensland and Western Australia introduced electrification muct later and use 25kV AC.

Melbourne's trams use 600 V DC which is a short of the standard 750 V used around the world, but trams designed for 750V still work on the system.


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## makita09 (Sep 8, 2009)

^^ Some parts of the DC network in the UK used to be 600v or thereabouts in the same way. The line out of Waterloo as far as Wimbledon or somewhere like that, I'm not sure if that is still the case but the normal 750v trains operated fine over that section, presumably with less power though.


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

Various Voltages used for the New York City Region
*New York*
*Metro North *
*750 Bottom Contact 3rd Rail*
-Hudson Line : Mott Haven to Croton Harmon
-Harlem Line : Grand Central to Southeast
-New Haven Line : Woodlawn to Pelham 
*
12.5 kV/60 Hz Overhead Catenary*
-New Haven Line : Pelham to New Haven
-New Canaan Branch : Stamford to New Canaan
*Proposed Lines*
Danbury Branch : South Norwalk to New Milford
*25kV/60Hz Overhead Catenary *
Hell Gate line : Penn Station to New Rochelle 
New Haven Line Upgrade

*New York*
*Long Island Railroad *
*750 Top Contact 3rd Rail *
-Atlantic Branch
-Long Beach Branch
-West Hempstead Branch
-Ronkonkoma Branch
-Babylon Branch
-Port Washington Branch
-Far Rockaway Branch
-Hempstead Branch
-Port Jefferson Branch : Hicksville to Huntington
*Proposed Lines *
East Side Access to Grand Central

*New Jersey*
*New Jersey Transit *
*12.5kV/25Hz Overhead Catenary*
North Jersey Coast Line : Rahway to South Amboy
Northeast Corridor line : New York to Trenton
*25kV/60Hz Overhead Catenary*
North Jersey Coast Line : South Amboy to Long Branch
Morristown Line : Hoboken to Dover
Montclair Line : Newark to Montclair State University
Gladstone Branch : Summit to Gladstone
*Proposed Lines *
Northeast Corridor line : Trenton to New York
Jamesburg Branch : Monmouth Junction to Farmingdale
Red Bank Branch : Lakehurst to Red Bank
South Amboy Branch : South Amboy to Bordentown

*Connecticut *
*Regional Rail*
*25kV/60Hz Overhead Catenary*
Shore Line East : New Haven to New London
*Proposed Lines *
Knowledge Corridor : New Haven to Springfield/Brattleboro


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## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

I've read somewhere that the only reason 12.5 kV AC is still used is because there are low clearance areas that do not have sufficient safety distance for 25 kV AC. Is that true?

Are there plans to switch the 25 Hz lines to 60 Hz (either at 12.5 kV or 25 kV), because generating power at a different frequency takes extra effort?


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

M-NL said:


> I've read somewhere that the only reason 12.5 kV AC is still used is because there are low clearance areas that do not have sufficient safety distance for 25 kV AC. Is that true?
> 
> Are there plans to switch the 25 Hz lines to 60 Hz (either at 12.5 kV or 25 kV), because generating power at a different frequency takes extra effort?


The clearance on some of the Philly lines is quite low along with the New Haven Line.. However I know New Jersey Transit has some low bridges on its 25kV/60Hz network. Eventually Amtrak would like to have the entire Northeast Corridor at 25kV/60Hz including the New Haven Line. Which would allow for NJT to complete its 25kV/60Hz network. I'm not sure about SEPTA , I know Amtrak wants the Keystone Corridor to be upgraded to 25kV/60Hz sometime down the road. But the rest of the SEPTA Network might remain at 12.5kV/25Hz. Some of the newer and upgraded lines in Massachusetts and Connecticut will be powered at 25kV/60Hz.


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