AC 25kV 50 Hz ELECTRIFICATION SUPPLY DESIGN

Dr Roger D White
Professional Head of Electrification
ATKINS United Kingdom
roger.white@atkinsglobal.com

CONNECTION TO THE NATIONAL

ELECTRICITY SUPPLY
special power grids for single phase AC current at
16.7Hz; the voltage of these grids is produced from
110kV in Germany and Austria and 132kV in
Switzerland. This system is called centralised railway
energy supply.

The technical strength of all electrification schemes lies

in the fact that the prime mover is removed from the
train; but this is also its economic weakness. By taking
power from a distribution network there is almost
unlimited power available which has been efficiently
produced.

The supply is taken from the national power grid (e.g.

110kV, 50Hz) and converted to 55-0-55 kV (or 66-066kV) AC at 16.7Hz by rotary machines or AC/AC
converters. The 0V point is then connected to earth
through an inductance so that each conductor of the
single phase AC power line has a voltage of 55kV (or
66kV) with respect to earth potential. The earth
inductance is designed to limit currents in the earth due
to faults on the line.

The cost of providing the fixed installations can only be

justified where the traction loads are heavy or there is a
high density of traffic.
System Voltages 15 kV, 16.7 Hz
15kV high voltage enables high power transmission with
low losses that have been powering traction motors
available since the beginning of the 20th century.

In Sweden, Norway, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

and Saxony-Anhalt, there are no special single phase
power grids. The energy is taken directly from the three
phase grid (110kV at 50Hz), converted to low frequency
single phase and fed into the overhead line.

The 15 kV, 16.7Hz AC railway electrification system is

used in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden and
Norway. This system has become the preferred standard
for extensions of the existing 15 kV networks.

At the substations, the voltage is then transformed from

110kV (or 132kV) AC to 15kV AC onto the overhead
line.

High voltage railway electrification in German speaking

countries began at 16 hertz, at one third of the national
power grid frequency of 50Hz. This allowed the
operation of rotary converters from the 50Hz grid and
dedicated the railway power generators to operate at the
same shaft speed as a standard 50Hz generator.

System Voltages 25 kV, 50 Hz

The 25 kV A.C. 50 Hz electrification systems have been
developed specifically for railway traction purposes. The
main feature that separates this system from the
conventional 3 phase and neutral HV distribution
network of the public supply authority is that the railway
system is a single-phase system with one pole
intentionally earthed. Even though railway administration
have their own individual electrification schemes the
basic design of these systems are the same.

One disadvantages of 16.7Hz locomotives as compared

to 50 Hz or 60 Hz locomotives is that it requires a heavier
transformer. Low frequency transformers need to have
heavier magnetic cores and larger windings for the same
level of power conversion. The heavier transformer and
higher axle loads leads to increased track wear and the
need for more frequent track maintenance.

The 25kV rail network has been designed to meet the

needs of a fast, intercity, multi-track railway network
carrying a variety of trains at frequent intervals. This
operation requires an overhead system that is inherently

Distribution networks
In Germany (except Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
and Saxony-Anhalt), Austria and Switzerland, there are
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safe for employees and passengers, reliable and provides

a high degree of security of the supply for the train
operators. This security will ensure that the electrification
supply system is able to provide the required power
levels to fulfil the performance required by the train
timetables. It should be recognised that if the service or
loads are increased the performance of the electrification
system should be reviewed.

circuits are used so as to give the same level of security

to the 25kV as the HV supply. The supply to the railway
25kV busbar may be fed from independent parts of the
H.V network. If there is a failure on one of the supplies
the fault does not interrupt the supply to the second
railway feed [see Figure1]. The two railway feeder could
be independent or may be banked with 33 kV or 11 kV
transformers feeding local industry or distribution
networks.

The 25kV high voltage A.C. locomotive is a complex

element of the total A.C. power system configuration.
The traction unit is able to change track position
continuously, this feature makes the railway
fundamentally different from the domestic and
commercial electrical supplies. The change of track
position by the traction unit will affect the characteristic
and performance of the power system. The traction unit
may also be responsible for equipment failure due to
under voltage, over voltage or over current. If the supply
system is to have a high degree of security the precise
behaviour of the complete system must be known and
catered for in the design specification. If this is not
accomplished at the design stage, then failures on the
locomotive [e.g. under voltage] or at the substation [e.g
spurious protection trips; Zone 3] can cause serious
operational difficulties once the system has become live.

If there is a total loss of supply at a feeder station, the

25kV bus section coupler is opened and the supply to the
overhead railway network is transferred so that the
adjacent feeder station supplies power up to the opened
bus section coupler. This new feeding arrangement will
give rise to loss of train performance due to the increased
voltage drop between the operational feeder stations and
individual locomotives. Any loss in time to the traction
unit, due to the outage of a feeder station should be
recoverable in the next normally fed feeding section.

HV Electrical Supply Point

Railway electrification schemes draw a single-phase
supply from the national electricity HV supply system
[national grid network]. With single phase traction loads
of between 2-12 MW [Pulse Converter or phase angle
control] unbalanced current will flow within the 3 phase
HV supply system. When the primary current is non
sinusoidal there is also the problem of harmonic
distortion to the HV supply.
In order to minimise these effects on the HV supply
authorities 3 phase networks and to other users,
connections are normally made to the supply authority
network at 132 or 275 kV and more recently in the UK
400kV. To address the problem of unbalance the single
phase traction supply transformers are connected to
different phase pairs of the grid supply at successive
feeder stations along the railway route. This will provide
the grid system with a load that is distributed between the
three phases along the railway.
ESI Feeding Arrangements Figure 1, 2
Normally the incoming feed is supplied from the
132/275/400 kV grid networks. The level of the traction
load and the availability of the grid, decide the point of
connection. At the railway feeder stations two incoming
circuits are normally made available, both of the feeds
being capable of individually carrying the total traction
load under normal traffic conditions, this will provide a
power supply with a high degree of security. Two HV
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Figure 1 Typical Supply Feeding Arrangement for a 25kV Electrified Railway

400 kV
Busbar Main

400kV
Busbar Reserve

Three Phase 400kV Grid Circuit

Three Phase 400kV Grid Circuit

Circuit Breaker Normally

Closed

400/25kV

400/25kV

Isolator
Switching Isolator

25kv Railway Supply

Figure 2 Typical 25kV Feeding Section Reserved Service Capacity (RSC) - Normal Feeding

Feeder Station
2x18MVA

Intermediate
Track Sectioning Cabin

Mid Point
Track Sectioning Cabin

Intermediate
Track Sectioning
Cabin

132/25kV Transformer
Circuit Breaker Normally Open
Circuit Breaker Normally Closed
Neutral Section

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Feeder
Station
1x18MVA

25KV SUB STATION

High Speed Lines

The equipment at the Feeder station is required to

provide
i Transformation of the incoming supply
system voltage ,
i switchgear for feeding arrangement and
isolation,
i metering of the electrical demand
i communication and SCADA monitoring

Transformer 40 to 80 MVA,
400kV
to 25-0-25 kV
The requirement to provide 400kV supply points to the
railway is due to the introduction of new high speed lines,
and also the necessity of increased loading and higher speed
of passenger lines and the increased loading of freight trains
on the railway network.
On new lines electrified at 25-0-25kV for Autotransformer
feeding arrangements the fault current is typically limited to
10-14 kA. This level is specified due to the characteristics of
the railway system to prevent damage to signalling circuits,
limit the level of voltage induced in telecommunications
cables under fault conditions, and limit the touch potential to
earthed parts of the supply systems.

Existing Electrification Schemes

Existing electrification schemes have used
transformers rated for natural cooling at 5, 7.5, 10, 15
and 18 MVA. The nominal impedance is typically
between 10-15%. This is normally in agreement
between the railway and the Electrical supply
authority.

In the UK where the electrification scheme is being

upgraded [WCML, ECML] there is a requirement to limit
the maximum fault currents on the 25kV Classic System
to 6kA, this has been achieved with the addition of a series
reactor. This is required to ensure that the railway
electrification scheme does not disturb existing 6 kA
immune signalling and lineside equipment. As the railway
signalling and lineside equipment is upgraded the fault
current can be increased eventually meeting the designed
limit of 10kA - 12kA [UK rail network].

Transformer Rating 10 MVA; 132 kV/25 kV fixed

ratio
This transformer is normally used on suburban
electrified lines. The transformer is usually oil
immersed and naturally cooled, if an oil circulating
pump and forced air cooling is installed the rating can
be increased to 14 MVA.
Transformer Rating 18 MVA; 132 kV/25 kV
variable ratio

Metering and Electricity Supply Tariffs

[from minus 0% to plus 12.5% in steps of 2.5%].

It is necessary to adjust the transformer tap setting, to
give the most suitable no-load voltage; this is
determined by the characteristics of the incoming
supply feeder and does not exceed 27.5kV permanent
whilst seeking to provide a full load voltage of 25kV.
Once set it is only necessary to adjust the tap setting if
the incoming power system characteristics are
significantly altered. The transformer is usually oil
immersed and naturally cooled; if oil circulating pump
and forced air is installed that rating can be increased
to 26.5 MVA.

Metering is normally undertaken on the Feeder Station

site. The tariffs for traction supplies are not specific and
may be negotiated by the railway company which
purchases the supply. Therefore if an intercity passenger
network is responsible for the purchase of the electrical
supply, they may negotiate a price which benefits their
daytime traffic in preference to a freight train operator
whose main traffic is overnight. The benefits of this type
of bargaining may well place a railways freight business
at a disadvantage.
The Electricity Power Supply Industry has been privatised
in many countries. This has changed the traditional way
electricity is purchased. The electricity can be purchased
from in some cases one of many suppliers and even the
railways wholly owned power generation system. The
costing therefore has become more complex and may
involve a number of factors. [Operation within the UK:
Unlike the majority of industries, the railway owner
purchases its electrical supply from the two generating
authorities, Powergen and National Power in England and
Wales, and Scottish Power and Hydro Electric in Scotland.]
There are a number of parameters which may be taken
into consideration when a tariff is made between a
supplier and a customer.

Supply Voltages
Normally the supply is taken from the 132kV System;
this is due to the requirements of minimising
disturbances to the electrical supply authority of what
is a typical single phase load.
If the 132kV supply is not available, or is available at
considerable cost including the construction of a
length of 132kV overhead line or 25 kV cable then
consideration should be given to connection at 66kV
or 275kV. The connection to the 275kV point of
common coupling will ensure that the disturbing
effects particularly of unbalance would be minimised.

The typical charges for a railway may include:

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railway with either underground cables or overhead

conductors.

Data Collection and Metering Cost [typically

1%]
This covers installation and maintenance of
metering equipment.

Transformers adjacent to the railway

The earth return currents can be excessive if transforming
stations and railway feeder stations are not adjacent. One
way of overcoming this is to locate the transformers in
compounds adjacent to the railway feeder station. This
could be achieved by feeding the substation from say
132kV.

Connection Charge [typically 12% ]

This includes two components parts covering:
i
i

Maintenance of the Supply Point

Ongoing cost of the installation spread out
over the life of the site

Transformers remote from the Railway

Where the transformers are remote from the railway the
25kV is normally cable fed. This is achieved with
concentric cables for 25kV classic fed railways and single
core cables in Trefoil for 25-0-25 kV fed railways.

At each supply point the authority provides the H.V.

switchgear, 132/25 kV transformer, protection
equipment.

The cable rating is typically 400mm2 as in the case of 25-025 kV supply at Long Buckby Wharf and Bushey.

Unit Cost [typically Energy 82%]. The cost of

energy [kW] provided by the electricity authority is
related to the basic cost of fuel. To improve the
base loading of the supply system and reduce the
peak loading, the supply authority provide different
rates whereby energy can be purchased cheaper at
times of minimum demand.

Where the transformers are remote from the railway it is

required to be earthed at the neutral of the transformer. Due
consideration must be given to minimise earth return
currents if this is remote from the railway.

Distribution Costs [ typically 5%]

The charge made to a major consumer has to cover
all three areas. The use of the national and regional
distribution networks is normally charged to the
supplier who in turn includes this portion in the total
charge made on the customer. If the Railway
Company receives its supply from the 275kV supply
there will only be a charge made to the national
distribution network.

TRACTION
ELECTRIFICATION
CHARACTERISTICS
The supply system parameters for the interface with a high
voltage transmission system at the point of common
connection with the nearest non-railway consumer are
specified for the UK rail system in the Engineering
Recommendations P24.

Other Charges may be based on::

The details of the limits of voltage limits, variations, limits

of unbalance and harmonic distortion are detailed below:

i.
Maximum Demand Charges. Maximum
demand charges are made by the supply authorities,
and relate to the maximum demand required by the
railway electrification system at the times of the
supply authoritys systems maximum demands.
This cost is necessary to provide the capacity in the
generating and H.V. transmission system, which is
only required at the periods of maximum demand.

System Voltage Variation

A voltage variation produced by the traction load at the
point of common connection :-

ii.
Distribution
Charge
[within
the
privatised power supply network]. Privatisation of
the power supply network brought about separate
companies, the suppliers of electricity, the national
distribution network [National Grid], and the
regional distribution networks [Regional Electricity
Companies].
Remotely Fed Railway Sites

i.

The voltage change caused by the load changes with

a cyclic variation of greater than two hours is limited
to no more than 3%.

ii.

The voltage change caused by load changes with

cyclic variation of less than two hours but greater
than two minutes is limited to a step of 1.5%, or a
ramp of 3.0% over two seconds, limits are reduced
by 25% at 132kV.

iii.

25kV System Voltage Variation

A traction unit is specified to provide a timed service
over specified route, it is essential therefore that the

Where the connection to the national grid is not at the

railway site there is often a need to interconnect the
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supply system is capable of supplying

sufficient power to enable the unit to achieve
the specified performance.

the supply authorities have not charged directly for reactive

power, however if in the future this policy is changed it
would be necessary to reconsider the power factor taken by
traction units.

European regulation EN 50163 [Supply Voltage of

Traction Systems], Definitions:
Definition of operating
System voltages

25kV

15kV

Umin2
lowest
non
permanent
voltage
duration 10min,
Umin1 lowest permanent
voltage
duration
indefinitely,
Un
nominal
voltage
designed system value,
Umax1 highest permanent
voltage
duration
indefinitely
Umax2 highest non permanent
voltage
duration 5 min.

17.5kV

11.0kV

19.0kV

12.0kV

25.0kV

15.0kV

27.5kV

17.25kV

29.0kV

18.0kV

System Frequency
The system has a nominal frequency of 50Hz with limits
specified by the electrical generating supply industry.
Typically the nominal frequency is 50Hz, with a variation of
plus or minus 0.5Hz. Ref G5/4 Electricity Council
Recommendations.
STANDARDS AND LEGISLATION
Statutory documents (Acts and Statutory Instruments)
UK Standards
x British Standards (BS and BS EN)
x European Standards (EN)
x ORR requirements
x RSSB Standards
x Industry Standards and codes of practice
x Employer Standards and codes of practice ( where
applicable)

System Overhead Line

Voltage [kV]

EARTHING 25 KV ELECTRIFIED RAILWAY

< 5 mins

29

max2

max1

[27.5 kV]

nominal

[25 kV]

27

25

[29.0 kV]

[figure 3]
The 25 kV railway overhead system will be a single pole
distribution network with the transformer neutral at the
Grid Substation earthed in accordance with normal Grid
practice.

23

The earthing arrangements of the distributed traction

return conductor rail network and of the traction units
conform to standard recommendations in the latest
version of EN 50122-1.

21

19

U min1

17

U min2 [17.25kV]
< 10 mins

[19.00kV]

System Power Factor

The main factor which must be considered on an earthed

electrification system is the voltage level of exposed
metal in relation to the general mass of the earth. Under
normal operating conditions this should be limited to 60 V
r.m.s under the BS EN 50122-1 and, under fault
conditions the limit rises to 645V for <200ms. To ensure
that these limits are complied with for the Protective
Provision for Humans the Railway Earthing Arrangement
shall be a Common Earthing System addressing
electrification
(25kV,HV,MV&LV),
signalling,
telecommunications systems, civil structures and non
railway auxiliary supplies.

The power factor of a traction unit will vary from 0.5

to 0.85 this has an effect on the amount of reactive
power measured by the supply authority. In the UK

The Common Earth System is therefore a specific

design requirement for all contractors that are supplying
equipment within the railway environment.

Time in Minutes

Additional Requirements for Network Rail: Under

extreme conditions, where a supply point is
completely out of service, the traction equipment must
operate down to 12.5 kV for up to 2 minutes and 14
kV for up to 10 minutes. The frequency of the supply
system will typically remain within the range of 50 Hz
+/- 1%.

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v. Traction Negative Return Bonding

Normally the Electricity Distribution Network

Operator does not permit the combining of their
earth with the 25kV Electrified traction return
system, therefore all non-traction supplies shall have
their earth separated from the local Electricity
Company earthing system.

The traction continuity and cross bonding is to create a

return path for traction load and fault current. The
traction bonding will control the return current path,
and ensure acceptable accessible touch and step
potentials voltage.
Additionally the return bonding is necessary to
ensuring the correct operation of the protection
systems.

HV supplies on railway substation transformer shall

constitute the earth isolation point with the cable
armouring of the incoming HV supply cut back and
insulated from the transformer tank. The tank shall
then be bonded to the traction return system.

Protective Provisions for Humans

CEI/IEC/TS 60479-1:2005 Effects of current on human
beings and livestock Part 1: General aspects

LV supplies on Railways obtained from the local

Electricity Operator will require 1:1 isolation
transformers to be installed to separate the two
earthing systems. ( ref EN 50122-1)
The Earthing and bonding requirement of a 25kV
railway environment are required to address:

The IEC 60479 series contains information about body

impedance and body current thresholds for various
physiological effects. This information can be combined to
derive estimates of a.c. and d.c. touch voltage thresholds for
certain body current pathways, contact moisture conditions,
and skin contact areas ( ref BS EN50122-1). Information
about touch voltage thresholds for physiological effects is
contained in IEC 61201.

i. Functional Earth
The purpose of a functional earth is to provide a
return current path to enable normal operation of
a device; this would provide a low impedance
path to connect the equipment to a reference
earth.

For a given current path through the human body, the

danger to persons depends mainly on the magnitude and
duration of the current flow. The necessary criterion is the
admissible limit of touch voltage (i.e. the product of the
current through the body called touch current and the body
impedance) as a function of time. The relationship between
current and voltage is not linear because the impedance of
the human body varies with the touch voltage, and data on
this relationship is therefore required. The different parts of
the human body (such as the skin, blood, muscles, other
tissues and joints) present to the electric current a certain
impedance composed of resistive and capacitive
components.

ii. Protective Earthing

The purpose of a protective earth is to provide a

protective provision against electric shock to
humans. This is required where electrical
systems could make live metallic surfaces due
to a dewirement.
All railway earthing system designs are required
take into account the requirement for lightning
protection.

iii. Suppression of Electrical Noise

The values of body impedance depend on a number of

factors and, in particular, on current path on touch voltage,
duration of current flow, frequency, degree of moisture of
the skin, surface area of contact, pressure exerted and
temperature. The impedance values indicated in this
technical specification result from a close examination of
the experimental results available from measurements
carried out principally on corpses and on some living
persons.

Railway traction earths are notoriously noisy due

to the high levels of harmonic currents and due
to the conduction path (rail) being exposed to the
poor weather impacting on the rail leakages and
earth resistivity.
Earthing systems must be designed in order to
ensure compatibility with the noise limitations of
electrical equipment connected to the earthing
system.

BS EN 50122-1 calculations are based on:

x
IEC/TS 60479-1:2005;
x
HD 637 S1.

iv. Equipotential Bonding

The object of bonding is to ensure that non
continuous metallic surfaces and conductors
(structures, handrails, equipment cabinets, etc.)
are all held at the same potential to minimise the
risk of electric shock; this is referred to as
equipotential bonding.

BS EN 50122-1 Following assumptions are made:

x
current path: one hand to both feet;
x
body impedance for large surface areas of
contact in dry conditions;

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x
x
x

touch voltages given in EN 50122 are based upon this

critical current multiplied by an appropriate impedance
for the given time duration.

50 % probability of body impedance higher

than assumed value;
0 % probability of ventricular fibrillation
(see IEC/TS 60479-1:2005, curve c1);
additional resistance Ra = 1 000 for old
wet shoes for short-term conditions.

Relevant UK and European Standards:

1.

The main factor which must be considered on an

earthed electrification system is the voltage level of
exposed metal in relation to the general mass of the
earth. BS EN 50122-1 specifies that under normal
operating conditions this should be limited to 60 V
r.m.s under the and, under fault conditions the limit
rises to 645V for 200ms, and 785V for 100ms.

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Earthing of a rail network gives rise to different

standards that are applicable including:

7.

i.

The EMC standard [IEC 61000-5-2]

States that independent earthing is very poor for
EMC purposes. It prefers common earth connections
across the system. This is not used over long
distances of railway to avoid the problems of current
flow due to different earth potentials;

8.
9.
10.

If multiple connections of metallic sheaths,

armour or shields of power cables to the traction
system are necessary, it shall be ensured that the
metallic sheaths, armour or shields do not carry
inadmissible high traction return currents.

11.
12.

ii.

AC Cable Screens and Armouring

These are normally bonded to earth at both ends,
although due consideration is required for cables
along parallel to the railway line to prevent the
passage of traction or fault or traction load current
along the cable sheath or armouring.

13.
14.
15.

iii.

Personnel Safety
Fault Protection, i.e. earthing(System Design,
EN 50122-1)
LV 50 Hz earthing (IEE Wiring Regulations.)
Traction return current (System Design,
EN
50122-1)
CCITT

16.
17.
18.

The values of permitted touch and accessible

potentials in EN 50122-1 are based upon
information given in an IEC Technical Report IEC
60479-1, entitled Effects of current on human
beings and livestock. This report studies the
physiological effects of current flowing through the
human body. Values are given for the magnitude of
a critical current as a function of the time that it
flows through the body, for which the risk of
fibrillation of the heart is very small. The permitted

19.
20.

Roger D White
Atkins

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 ISBN

0105437743
Electricity at Work Regulations1989 SI 1989 No. 635
European Standard BS EN 50122-1 2010 Railway
Applications Fixed Installations Part 1 Protective
Provisions relating to Electrical Safety and Earthing.
BS 7430 Code of Practice for Earthing.
BS 7671 requirements for Electrical Installations.
BS EN 50119 Railway applications Fixed
installations - Electric traction overhead contact lines.
BS EN 50388 Railway applications - Power supply
and rolling stock - Technical criteria for the
coordination between power supply (substation) and
rolling stock to achieve interoperability.
Guidelines for the Design Installation Testing and
Maintenance of Main Earthing Systems EATS 41-24
1992.
Electricity Council Engineering S 5/1.
AC Traction Supplies to British Rail ER P24 [1984]
Electricity Association recommendation.
Effects of current on human beings and livestock IEC
479-1
SSI8500E SSI Applications Manual Earthing and
Bonding of Solid State Interlocking Equipment issue
2, dated June 2002.
NR/GN/ELP/00004 A.C. Electrified Lines Earthing
and Bonding issue 2, dated April 2006.
NR/L2/SIG/10173 Train Protection and Warning
System (TPWS) Track Sub-System Installation
Requirements issue 4, dated August 2008.
NR/GN/SIG/11210 Signalling Installation issue 1,
dated August 2000.
NR/GN/SIG/11600 Signalling and Operational
Telecommunications Design: Technical Guidance
issue 1, dated August 2000.
NR/SP/SIG/11752 Train Detection issue 2, dated
August 2001.
NR/GN/SIG/11901 Requirement Specification for
Train Detection Using Axle Counters issue 1, dated
April 2006.
NR/SP/ELP/21085 Specification for the Design of
Earthing and Bonding Systems for 25kV a.c.
Electrified Lines issue E3, dated April 2007.
Earth Systems UK BP/SE/NSI 24 EARTH SYSTEMS
National Grid

14/05/2013

115

Figure 3 Earthing and Bonding in a.c. Electrified Railways

Earth Wire

Telecoms PSU

Telecoms.
Cable

400kV Grid
Tower

25kV

Track Structures

Track circuit

NGC
Substation

SignallingPSU

Local
RECS

Tunnel
Structures

Station
Apparatus
Metal Fences

Tunnel
Structure

Rebars
Copper
Earth Mat

R D White 2004

Station
Metallic
Structures

railway from Rise of Earth Potentials it may be

necessary to position the substation from the railway at
the following distances:
i 132kV at the railway
i 275kV at 200m
i 400kV at 300m

Electrical Supply Recommendation and Standards.

The supply system parameters for the interface with a
high voltage transmission system at the point of
common connection with the nearest non-railway
consumer are specified for the UK rail system in the
Publication from the Associated Engineering
Recommendations P24.
Details of voltage limits, variations, limits of unbalance
and harmonic distortion are detailed below:

Position of Neutral Connection to Earth

The neutral connection to earth of the 25kV supply is
required prior to energisation of the 400/25 kV
transformer. This connection can be made either at the
National Power Supplier grid site or the Railway
Owner site. Consideration is required to ensure safe
operation and compliance with ESI Regulation and
Engineering Recommendation P24.

Earthing Inter-Connections
It is preferable that the earth mats are common and are
on the same site wherever possible [ ref BS 7430]. The
characteristics of such a connection are detailed below.

Neutral earth at grid site Disadvantages

Where the ground resistivity and the resistance of the

National Power Supplier and Railway Owner earth
mats are high it may be more appropriate to separate
the earth mats. In making this decision detailed
modelling is required to establish the levels of rise of
earth potentials under 400kV&25kV earth faults.

i
i
i

Potential for bypass of the broken wire

protection and neutral
Induced voltage into telecoms cables
Traction return currents will enter grid earth mat

Neutral earth at feeder station

Advantages
i Mitigates bypass broken wire protection and
neutral
i Mitigates Induced voltage into telecoms cables

Typically the grid site position is dependant on the ESI

fault level and the ground resistivity. To protect the

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116

Disadvantages
i Operational procedures required for grid
i The rating of cables connected to the return
current busbar is required to meet grid
standards

TRACTION RETURN SYSTEM

Conventional track circuited areas will normally use one
of the running rails solely for signalling purposes. The
remaining running rails of each track are designated as
the "traction current return rail" these rails are all bonded
together and to the adjacent overhead line structures.
Since the foundations have a depth of 2 to 3 metres, in
damp environments the weather conditions have little
effect upon the resistance where typical foundation will
have a resistance of 20 ohms. This figure for the
foundation can significantly change with the ground
conditions. A dry climate with poor ground conditions
can increase the resistance of the foundations to 100
ohms or more. The total earthing system is a distributed
network in the UK will produce a typical resistance to
earth of 0.14 ohms for a 4 track railway and 0.18 ohms
for a two track railway. If this resistance is of a low
enough value it is not usually necessary to drive earth
rods. Where there are poor ground conditions it may be
necessary to consider the inclusion of earth rods or a
buried earth wire.
With Classic feeding arrangement of the overhead line
it is normal for the return system to include rail return
with booster transformers and return conductors. Other
alternative return systems that railways have used
include:
i
i
i
i
i

Rail return [NR]

Rail Return with Earth Wires [NR]
Rail Return with Aerial and Buried Earth
Wires [Channel Tunnel, West Rail Hong
Kong]
Rail return with Return conductors [ NR, East
Rail Hong Kong]
Rail return with return conductors and booster
transformers [ NR, Malaysia]

Classic system in the UK there are a total 25kV AC

7582 km figures for 2000/2001 Source is the 1999
Network Management Statement,
The main factor which must be considered on an earthed
electrification system is the voltage level of exposed
metal in relation to the general mass of the earth. Under
normal operating conditions this should be limited to 60
volts BS EN 50122-1, however, under fault conditions
the
limit
rises
to
645V
for
200ms.
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Figure 4 Principle of AC and DC Dual Electrified Areas

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The THD is then given by

SUPPLY POINT DISTURBANCES
50

2
V n50

Permitted harmonics Engineering Recommendation

G5/4
THD 

At Stage 3 assessment is applicable to connection of

non linear equipment to supply systems having a Point
of Common Coupling [PCC] at 33kV and above.

Compatibility Levels for public supply system

harmonics are specified in the IEC Basic Standards
61000-2-2 and 61000-2-12. The immunity test levels
for equipment are higher levels based on the specified
compatibility levels. If the network distortion exceeds
the relevant compatibility level, experience has shown
that there will be a sudden increase in equipment
failures and customer complaints.
System

400V

Calculations
vi. For unbalanced harmonic conditions, the phase
with the highest THD should be used.
vii. For individual harmonics which will have the
summated magnitude and hence the greatest
THD , the measured and calculated values of
distortion are assumed to peak at the same time
and to be in phase.
Vhm

[Total

Measured + Calculated]

6.6, 11, 22
kV
>20kV and
<145kV
275
and
400kV

Vhc

Compatibility
Levels

3%

8%
[IEC 61000-2-2]
8%
[IEC 61000-2-12]
5% [UK]

3%

3.5% [UK]

4%

The values of Vhp for all harmonic orders and the THD
which have been assessed at the PCC should not
exceed the individual and the THD harmonic voltage
planning levels for the relevant supply network.

difference of 90o is assumed at the time of

maximum THD
=

Planning
Levels
[IEC
61000-3-6]
5%

Stage 3 Limits

viii. For other harmonics an average phase

Vhp

V 50

Planning Levels are the levels for public supply system

harmonics and are specified in the IEC Basic Standards
IEC 61000-3-3; these levels are used in the design
study to ensure that any increase in load on the system
does not cause adverse reduction of system
performance.

Requirements of the NOC [Network Operating

Company]
iii. NOC is required to provide the system
harmonic impedance values at the PCC. This
will enable the customer to evaluate his system
harmonic performance.
iv. The existing distortion that already exists on the
system is required to be measured.
v. The prediction of the total harmonic levels this
is required to be achieved by the addition of the
existing and new harmonics loads.

Planning and Compatibility Levels G5/4

Requirements of the Railway Company

i. The railway system will be required to provide
the characteristics of the load to be installed,
when this is a non linear equipment,
ii. Prediction of the Total Harmonic Distortion
[THD] is required to assess all harmonics up to
and including the 50th harmonic.

Vhp

Where existing harmonic voltage levels are more than

the planning levels, the risk of disturbance to other
customers is increased.

Vhm + Vhc

Compatibility levels for 66,132,275 and 400kV

systems have not been specified internationally. The
margins for the THD in the UK are 4% for 6.6, 11 kV,
5% for 22, 33kV, 2% for 66 and 132 kV and 0.5% for
275 and 400kV

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system can only produce power in the fundamental

component of the applied voltage and current. Hence the
harmonic components of current produce no power.

Note The planning and compatibility levels quoted in

G5/4 are the required limits at the point of
common coupling.
Supplies that are derived from traction supplies
cannot be expected to comply with these limits.
i. The maximum value of voltage distortion due to
any odd harmonic at 132kV must not exceed
1%, and any even harmonic 0.5%.

Power Factor = Real Power = VFIFcosT

Voltamperes
VTIT
where:- Primary voltage is sinusoidal
= rms fundamental component of
VF
voltage,
= rms fundamental component of
IF
current,
= total rms Voltage,
VT
= total rms current,
IT
cosT = cosine of the angle VF and IF

ii. The maximum value of RMS harmonic

distortion must not exceed 3% at 33kV and
66kV, and 1.5% at 132 kV.
Non Sinusoidal Power Factor
Figure 5

Due to the line current containing significant harmonics

the rms value of the line current [IT] is greater than the
rms value of the fundamental [IF] and clearly the apparent
power will be greater than the real power. This means
that the power factor will be less than unity, despite the
fact that the fundamental current and voltage are in
phase.

The supply system is not truly sinusoidal and therefore it

is necessary to address the effect of the harmonic
distortion on the power factor of the system. The
harmonic currents that flow in the system need to be
taken into consideration when assessing the VoltAmperes. The harmonic component of the supply system
will reduce the effective power factor of the system
below unity.

The ratio of

The tariff rates are structured to encourage consumers to

maximise their power factor, and hence improve the
utilisation of the installed capacity. For example, a
power factor of 0.8 causes an increase of 25% in VA
capacity over the unity power case. Since each authority
optimises its tariff structure to suit its own costs, each
railway will have to form its own energy usage strategy
to minimise its outlay.

IF
IT

is the distortion factor [O].

Displacement factor is the cosine of the angle between

the fundamental voltage and current, and as such is the
power factor that is assumed from our normal sinusoidal
state analysis where we only consider one frequency.
Power factor approximates to:Power factor= displacement factor x distortion factor
=
cos(T) x O

The more recent traction units are designed with an input

pulse converter that will draw power factor that is very
near to unity. The auxiliaries of the traction unit and the
passenger rolling stock may cause this factor to reduce
slightly.

50

40
MVA

True definition of Power Factor

Power Factor =

Real Power
Volt Amperes

Volt
Amperes 30

[watts]
[VA]

20

The current waveform for 25kV traction units, with

conventional rectifiers, is non-sinusoidal in shape. The
voltage is itself modified by the flow of harmonic
currents and resonance effects of the overhead line. The
transformer and rectifier have non-linear characteristics
and therefore draw a non sinusoidal current waveform
and harmonics from the power system.

10

0.2

It is important that a fundamental definition of power

factor is applied in any analysis of the system, this must
include the line current generated harmonics. Assuming
a sinusoidal applied voltage waveform, a non linear

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

Power Factor

Figure 5 Variation of Power Factor with MVA load

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Causes of Unbalance

negative phase sequence voltage for 1 minute

period.

A.C. traction supplies are single phase loads, these

supplies are connected between the line to line of the grid
supply system and it is inevitable therefore that unequal
phase currents will be drawn through this system. It
follows that the voltage drop between power stations and
low voltage busbar will be unequal on the three phases.
Any 3-phase customer fed from that busbar will have
unequal phase voltages.

long term limit

1.3% of negative phase sequence voltage [below
33kV]
1% of negative phase sequence voltage [no greater
than 132 kV]
[Note this does not apply to the new Phase 1,2&3
400kV Network Rail Sites]

An a.c. traction supply is a type of disturbing load in two

respects, it inherently requires a single phase supply and
secondly the locomotive transformer and rectifier have a
non linear characteristic and therefore draw a rectangular
current waveform from the supply which is rich in
harmonics.
It is necessary to quantify this unbalance among the three
phases in order to specify limits and penalties customers
must be prepared to pay if such loads are used. Classical
analysis by phase sequence component provides the
negative phase sequence [NPS] voltage vector and this
quantity is a useful and meaningful measure of the level
of unbalance produced.

The IEC limits state that, the limit of negative

phase sequence voltage that can be applied to
induction motor terminals is 2%.

Methods Applied to Reduce Unbalance

Figure 6
Reduction in the level of unbalance in the power system
is a costly process especially if it has to be considered
retrospectively. It is not always possible to predict
increased levels of load, however future increases should
always be considered during the design stages of railway
electrification.

The control of disturbances at the supply point are

required by the electrical supply authority to ensure
that the railway does not adversely affect the supply
system and other consumers connected at the point of
common coupling.

The worst case is usually when one of the two

transformers is out of service and hence the second
transformer at the feeder or [the next feeder station with
second stage emergency feeding] takes the combined
railway load. Some remedies could be cheaper than
providing extra railway infeeds:

Limits of Unbalance
The effect of unbalance on the supply is to create
negative phase sequence currents to flow in the HV and
LV network. This in turn will cause negative phase
sequence currents to flow in the generators, other
networks and loads connected. The flow of NPS currents
will have the potential to overheat three phase motors.

P24 the AC Traction Supplies to Network

Rail
The maximum value for all sources 2% for one
minute.

Where there is a weak supply point it is necessary to

monitor the level of NPS, this is achieved with an alarm
that informs the electrical control that the limit is about to
be exceeded. It is necessary then to reduce the
operational traction loads to ensure that the level of NPS
is maintained within the prescribed limits.

The problem of three phase unbalanced loads on the

supply system is that other consumers connected at the
point of common coupling will be affected by the
negative phase sequence currents and the consequential
voltage drops. The main risk from the NPS is in the
heating effect on a.c. motors and generators.

i.

Grid Code
The UK Grid Code states a limit should not
exceed 1% of negative phase sequence voltage
under planned outage conditions on the NGC
transmission systems.
Planned outage specific conditions [ short term]
a limit of 2% of negative phase sequence
voltage.

ii.
iii.

P29 Engineering Recommendation on the

limits at the PCC for short term 2% of

Roger D White
Atkins

Relief can be obtained by moving one of the

proposed two transformers at a supply point to
another site or a standby transformer can be
provided.
Changes to the connection of the traction supply
transformers should be the first consideration
when it is required to relieve a disturbance.
It may be that the railway can transfer some of
its load to an adjacent and stronger supply point
by planning to move the mid point 25kV
section switch nearer to the weakened supply
point.
14/05/2013

121

iv.

Balancers applied to the 3 phase network are the

only other solution to reduce unbalance
conditions. It is a variable unbalanced load and
is applied to the network at either the 25kV or
132kV. In view of the cost of the equipment
involved and complication of installing such a
system an additional supply point may be
preferred.

Class 86 & 87

Unknown

Class 90

940A

Class 91

1200A
(measured)
363A
(measured)

Class 319

A simple balancer was described by Howroyd [29] in

which a small reactor and capacitor, say 3 MVA, is
connected between two of the three phases at the nearest
33kV or 11kV busbar, where it prevents the local
fluctuating NPS voltage from exceeding the limit, [see
Figure 6].

Class 325
Class 334

1.1Ohms (tap
0); 0.5 Ohms
(tap 39)
(theoretical)
0.88 Ohms
0.63 Ohms
4.1 Ohms

4.0 Ohms
Unknown
205A
(measured)

6.2 Ohms

Figure 6 Three Phase Balancers

Neutral Sections
With a single-phase ac traction system taking its
electricity supply direct from the National Grid threephase supply network, it is possible that the various feeder stations along the line will be fed from different
phases of the Grid. It is therefore necessary to install
neutral sections in the overhead line equipment
midway between the feeder stations to avoid two
sections from different phase supplies being paralleled.
Neutral sections are also provided adjacent to the
feeder stations, to divide the overhead lines, normally
fed from the same supply into two sections. This is
done so that if a feeder station "fails" then by suitable
switching a mid point is provided up to which the
range of the two adjacent feeder stations can be
extended. A Neutral section would also be required if
only one phase were used, to provide sectioning and
prevent excessive fault currents.
Neutral Sections and Section Insulators
At neutral sections and section insulators, glass fibre
rods are used, the rod is vacuum impregnated with
silicon rubber, ceramic beads are then threaded onto
the glass fibre rod, silicon rubber is then inserted
between the ceramic beads to provide flexibility.
Ceramic beads are used because of the insulating
properties thereby providing the isolation at not only
neutral sections but also section insulators. This type
of insulator is used because the design is such that its
dynamic performance is similar to that of the length of
contact wire which it replaces.

Traction Transformer Inrush

The traction unit has a 25kV/1000V transformer to
reduce the system voltage level. This transformer
operates on a typical B/H magnetisation characteristic.
The switching on the transformer will cause a transient
characteristic of the B/H. This produces a decaying
exponential transient effect on the secondary current,
the disturbance effect is the generation of transient d.c.
current on the 25 kV system.
Transformers

First Peak
at 27.5kV

Class 390

325A

DC
Resistance
(85C)
3.4 Ohms

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achieved by two contact wires supported side by side.

This design also prevents damage to the catenary wire
[aluminium] with bird strikes in tunnels etc.

Arthur Flury Section Insulators

In 1974, there was a continued investigation into the

possible reduction of electrical clearances. It was found
that surge levels and 50 Hz voltage withstand were
governed by the electrical field stress between the end
fitting on the support arm for the contact wire and the
roof of the over bridge or tunnel. It was then shown
that redesign of this end fitting into semi-circular shape
thereby evenly distributing the electrical stress, enable
the surge and 50 Hz voltage withstand levels to remain
the same whilst reducing the overall clearance. This
development has enabled the clearance to be specially
reduced to
x 95 mm static clearance
x 70 mm passing clearance
The passing clearance from the contact wire to the
Kinematic load gauge was also reduced to 125 mm.
The specially reduced clearances are adopted in cases
of exceptional difficulty or where great expense would
be incurred in creating greater headroom. It was also
necessary to add an additional 25 mm for increased
uplift of the contact wire at speeds above 60 km. hr-1.

Automatic Power Control (APC) is used to ensure that

the circuit breaker on the locomotive or multiple-unit is
opened automatically before the vehicle traverses a
neutral section. Arc diverters are incorporated in the
design of the neutral section to ensure that in the event
of the APC failing to operate any arc that is drawn
when the pantograph leaves the live equipment would
be conducted via the arc diverter and the earthed part
of the neutral section to the return conductors.
Electrical Clearances
The electrical clearances for overhead electrified
railways were originally based on the UIC
recommendation for 25 kV 50 Hz systems were
defined as follows ( reference BSEN 50119) :Clearance on UK Network
This specification required a total headroom above the
kinematic load gauge of 680 mm. In 1962 the British
Railway Network revised the clearances following tests
and service experience:200 mm static clearances
150 mm passing clearances
These reduced clearances along with new resistant
supports for overhead line equipment beneath over
bridges and in tunnels, has enabled the minimum
headroom to be reduced to 175 mm thus considerably
reducing the cost of obtaining electrification
clearances. Where there is insufficient headroom to
allow normal catenary/contact wire arrangement, i.e. at
over bridges or tunnels, the research and development
work has shown that good current collection could be
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This shows that the inductance of a transmission line

consists of two components: the self inductance and the
mutual inductance. The self inductance also has two
components internal inductance and external
inductance.

Overhead Line Resonance [Figure 7]

Harmonic distortion to the network voltages is caused by
machine saturation effects and non-linear elements such
as thyristor power converters.
Electricity Supply
authorities specify limits for total distortion which are
generally in the range 0.5 - 3%. The harmonics produced
by power converters can cause resonance of the power
supply network due to the series/parallel characteristic of
the overhead line, and the supply transformer, this in turn
can produce over voltages. The impedance of the supply
system is required to be controlled with the use of
damper [RC circuits] to ensure that the system
impedance is such that potentially dangerous over
voltages do not occur.

Transmission Line Capacitance

Transmission line conductors exhibit capacitance with
respect to each other owing to the potential difference
between them. The amount of capacitance between the
conductors is a function of the conductor size, spacing
and height above ground. Capacitance of a conductor
with respect to any other point is defined as
C = q/ v F/m
q
Instantaneous charge on the conductor C/m
v
voltage drop from the conductor to the point

An overhead line system behaves as a transmission line

and has certain values of capacitance, inductance and
resistance per unit length that are determined by physical
characteristics such as the diameter of the copper
conductor and its height above the ground. As a result
the overhead has characteristic impedance which by
transmission line theory can be shown to alternate
between capacitive and inductive values in the form of a
hyperbolic curve. The supply from the grid to the feeder
station is essentially inductive and resonant conditions
exist between the supply and the overhead, i.e. the system
has a set of characteristic resonant frequencies [see
Figure 7].

The harmonics of Traction Units

Phase angle control and four quadrant ac/dc controller
may produce resonance of the overhead line due to the
harmonic content of the traction primary 25 kV line
current.
The harmonic content of the four quadrant a.c./d.c.
converter is determined by the switching frequency of the
converter (typically 3kHz) .
Tap-changer and phase-angle traction units

Transmission Lines Resistance

The ampere emissions from vehicles are set by the

power rating and the type of traction control. The tapchanger vehicles have a relatively constant harmonic
spectrum because the waveform has the same shape for
a given power and speed. The Class 90 is a high power
locomotive and no electric multiple units, even when
working with three coupled sets, will exceed the Class
90 envelope.

Series resistance of a transmission line is affected by

the resistivity of its conductors, the spiralling of the
strands within its conductors, temperature and skin
effect.
Rdc=L/A
Rdc

L
A

dc resistance
resistivity
conductor length
cross sectional area

A.C. Primary Wave shape

The a.c. side current is rectangular in shape and contains
many harmonics, under normal conditions the waveform
is symmetrical and will only contain odd harmonics.
This complex traction current passing through the supply
system causes a non-sinusoidal voltage drop, therefore
the non-sinusoidal system voltage produced will be
presented to other consumers connected at the point of
common coupling. In practice the distortion is often
clearly visible, Figure 7&8 shows the observed
waveforms at 25kV.

Transmission Line Inductance

Series inductance of a transmission line can be defined
in terms of the flux linkage of its conductors
N
1=L1 I1 + M1j Ij
j =2

1
L1
I1
M1j
Ij
N

flux linkage of a conductor

self inductance of a conductor
current flow in a conductor
mutual inductance between the conductor and
other nearby conductors
current in nearby conductors
number of the conductors

Due to the d.c. side inductance the current in the d.c. side
stays relatively constant, therefore when commutation
takes place in the diode or thyristor bridge the current
builds up in one pair of devices as the current falls in the
pair which are commutating off. During the commutation
process also called overlap, the whole bridge is

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124

conducting and hence the bridge a.c. and d.c. terminals

are short-circuited.

Vehicle
Class

Class
91

Class
92

The transformer secondary terminal voltage drops to

zero, the primary terminals only drop part way to zero
due to the transformer leakage reactance. This notch
therefore appears as a depression on the 25 kV, the
repeated short circuits, at twice mains supply frequency,
causing the a.c. supply system to resonate or "ring" as
shown by the subsequent ripples in both waveforms.

Maximum
MW
Minimum
MW
Control
type

4.75

5. 0

3.7

5.0

Phase
Angle

PWM

Thy.
Thy
Devices
260
278
50 Hz
85
10
150 Hz
40
1
250 Hz
23
1
350 Hz
15
1
450 Hz
10
1
550 Hz
9
2
650 Hz
7
2
750 Hz
6
3
850 Hz
5
3
950 Hz
4
1
1050 Hz
*from test reports 14-14-10-01
^arithmetical calculation, [270A
for EMU], with the 1/N factor.

In the case of a diode rectifier vehicle, there are points

of rapid change of primary current wave shape, this
occurs twice per cycle. This produces a burst of
resonant current twice per cycle, decaying as the
damping resistance takes effect.
Tap-changer locomotives have lower maximum values
because the waveform does not have two steps during
power control, as in the phase angle control. The
values given for phase angle are not sustained during
acceleration and do not all exist at the same time.
When the phase-angle locomotive is fully conducting,
it has the same harmonic content as the diode
locomotive.
Electric multiple units have similar power control
systems with lower power ratings. For example, the
Class 319 has phase angle control and a power rating
of 1.4 MW. When operating in multiple the power
controllers are not synchronised and the harmonics do
not add arithmetically. Recent designs such as the
Class 323 have a 1.2 MW rated PCMF with low
harmonic content.

Class
390*

Square
wave^
6.75

4QC

Squarewave

IGBT
1
2
1
1
1
3
1
1
1
1

270
90
54
39
30
25
21
18
16
14
13

Network Rail Limit

Resonant Characteristics of the Overhead Line

Series resonant characteristic
The overhead line has the electrical characteristics of a
long distributed inductance small series resistance with
capacitance to ground. This produces natural resonant
frequencies. Experience has shown that the first
resonance lies in the range 500 to 1200 Hz, being
governed predominantly by the length of the overhead
line and the characteristics of the National Power
Supplier; where the TFS sites have cable feeds and the
cable capacitance reduces the resonant frequency. The
resonant characteristic is changed with the emergency
feeding arrangement of the railway overhead lines. A
series of resonances exist at higher frequencies, with
even a 4 MHz value being found at one site. Above
about 7 kHz, the zones of high impedance at resonance
are restricted to quite short sections of track, for
example at the end of a section.

Thyristor Control [Figure 9].

The current taken by a traction unit will be distorted;
usually units on 25kV systems have either a phase angle
controller or a full-wave rectifier with a tap changer or
GTO chopper feeding a d.c. side smoothing choke and
d.c. motor.
In a phase-angle-controlled train with two bridges,
there may be four stimuli per cycle. During the
acceleration of the train the firing points may be spaced
at an integer number of resonance cycles. The decaying
resonance is stimulated again and may be sustained for
a greater part of the 50 Hz cycle.

First resonance currents flow in all connected parts of

the overhead. In first emergency feeding, the position
of a single train within the section does not affect the
resonant current flow and resonant current will flow in
the section beyond the feeder station where there is no
train.

Harmonic content of traction units

The values cover the range that defines the main
overall shape of the waveform. Higher values of
amperes indicate a more distorted wave that is more
likely to initiate resonant oscillation of the overhead.
These values are only achieved during acceleration
with full motor current. When running on open track at
line speed, the currents will be lower.

Parallel Resonance
A traction a.c./d.c. power converter can also be
considered as a source of harmonic currents, which are
injected into the 25 kV system. Significant harmonic
voltages can be generated when either the harmonic

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125

current is large, or the impedance of the system to a

particular harmonic frequency is high [i.e. at
resonance]. Over voltages on traction systems result
from an interaction between the traction electrical
supply system and harmonic current components from
the traction input converter. The voltage presented by
the public electricity network to the railway network is
close to sinusoidal. However, distorted currents due to
the load flow through the system impedance producing
harmonic voltage drops. If the supply contains a
parallel resonance at frequencies close to the main
harmonics of the traction input converter over voltage
could be produced. The over voltage once present on
the system may be transmitted to all the system loads
to a varying degree. If the over voltage exceeds a
critical level, disturbance or failure of system
components may result either soon after exposure to
the distortion or after a prolonged period.

i
i

Reduction of System Over voltages

The over voltages caused by line resonance mean that
certain components in the power equipment [eg
thyristors, diodes, lightning arrestors] have to be rated for
unusually high voltage operation, and it may be
necessary to reduce these over voltages rather than over
design the equipment and increase equipment costs. The
options available are:

i.
ii.

Characteristic behaviour at Resonance

Line resonance is found to some extent on all a.c.
systems, but is generally only a problem when either:

i.
ii.
iii.

iii.

The lowest resonant frequency is below the level

at which line harmonic currents are insignificant.
The line currents in the catenary are high, this
occurs when high levels of traction power are
being drawn.
The power conversion equipment is of a type that
generates high harmonic currents, [for example
phase angle control].

System Parameters
i L inductance of the overhead line, cable,
supply transformer [series and parallel]
i L Inductance of the traction transformer
[parallel resonance only]
i C capacitance of the overhead line to earth
and 25 kV cable live to neutral.

ii.

Frequency of resonance proportional to

1/ [L C]
i Hence if C or L increases the resonant
frequency reduces.
i Long 25kV feeding sections the frequency
reduces

iii.

Reduce the harmonic currents generated by the

converter.
Reduce the voltage drop [commutation notch] on
the line due to the converter commutating
between pairs of devices.
Inclusion of a filter in the system to reduce
harmonic currents.

The first two options mean a change in the basic

converter configuration, which is generally expensive.
For the third option a filter can be included on the
locomotive, or can be fitted to the overhead supply at the
end of each section to terminate it correctly. For extreme
values of resonance, it is very difficult to accommodate
the required filter on board the locomotive because of the
physical size of the capacitors involved, and the
dissipation in the filter resistor.

The characteristic of resonant behaviour is determined

by the electrical parameters of the overhead line, any
connected 25kV cabling and the traction unit:

i.

Increase length of the OHL increases L hence

impedance Z increases
Increasing capacitance reduces the OHL
Impedance,
If capacitance increases, the impedance of the
OHL reduces, and so does the over voltage.

Resonance may be eliminated completely by properly

terminating the supply line in its characteristic
impedance. Unfortunately this is impractical because of
the high dissipation that would result, but an RLC line
filter can be made that gives the correct terminating
impedance at the frequencies of interest without large
dissipation at the fundamental frequency. Since the filter
appears capacitive an improvement in overall system
power factor will result.
Filter Characteristic Design
At the parallel resonant frequency it is required that the
maximum system impedance should be limited [e.g.
typically 5 kohm at 2A]. This is required to achieve an
acceptable reduction in the system over voltage. The
over voltage is the determined by the superposition of
impedances and the line current harmonics.

Dynamic Impedance proportional to

[L/C] x 1/R
i At Resonance the Dynamic Impedance of
the OHL

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Characteristic of the filter circuit

i
i

filter will increase the capacitance hence reduce

resonant frequency, and dynamic impedance
Hence the introduction of a cable will increase
the OHL capacitance to earth, this will act as
another filter on the system and reduce the
resonant frequency, and the Dynamic
Impedance

Frequency

Half
Wavelength

Three
quarter
Wavelength

Wavelength

1.8kHz

3.6kHz

5.4kHz

7.2kHz

.
Typical Signalling and control equipment at risk
The resonant behaviour of the 25kV electrification
system is likely to cause disturbance by conduction or
induction to signalling and control systems of the
railway. The introduction of high power traction units
and 25kV dampers will require a safety case to ensure
that this equipment does not malfunction. Typically the
following equipment may need to be investigated.

WCRM Filter design

i
i

Quarter
wavelength

A damper of 300 ohms with 0.3 uF

25kV filter a maximum system impedance of
5kohms.[ UK rail network]

The new WCML Class 390 trains use an IGBT power

converter and the current taken from the overhead line
closely resembles a sine wave. The converter develops
0.7 amps at the interleave frequency of 11 kHz. The
switching frequency is set at 3700 Hz with interleaving
to deliver about 11000 Hz to the overhead. This
component of primary current is injected into the
overhead; the impedance of the overhead must be
controlled to be low enough level to avoid overvoltage. A damper has been fitted on the WCML of
300 ohms with 0.3 F which has low impedance of 304
ohms at 11 kHz.

Equipment Type

Operating
Frequency

Resonant
Frequency

363 Hz to 423
Hz
1532 Hz to 2610
Hz
Pulses and burst
having
di/dt
greater than 120
A/msec

First

64 kHz to 66
kHz

Higher
order not
applicable
to dampers
Second,
Third,
Higher

1. Track Circuits
Reed track circuit
TI21 track circuit
HVI track circuit

Prediction of resonant frequency

An approximate estimate of the resonant frequency of a
plain section of overhead can be made from the electric
wave velocity where the length of the section is taken
as a wavelength of the first resonance. The electric
wave velocity is less than the values in free space and
can be taken as three quarters of the speed of light, at
2.3 x 10e8 m/s.

2. Train
Detection
Systems
TPWS

The first resonant frequency is determined by the

impedance of the HV power system, the supply
transformer and the overhead line. This is difficult to
assess without the specific detail of each aspect.

Axle Counters
(Alcatel
SEL
version).
3. Lineside
systems
Reed FDM

The parallel resonance is mainly determined by the

traction drive and the overhead line, with the HV
power system having a lesser effect. A 32km feeding
section will produce a resonance at
C

= Frequency x

Line side equipment

(identified
as
signalling and other
equipment)

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Atkins

2530 Hz, 4150

Hz, 5060 Hz,
and
29 kHz, 30 kHz.
383 Hz to 880
Hz
1 kHz to 20 kHz

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127

Second
First,
Second,
Third and
Fourth
(bursts of
high
frequency)

First
First,
Second,
Third and
Fourth

Figure 7 Resonance of the Electrification System

Figure 8 Equivalent Circuit for A 25Kv Electrification Systems

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 Copyright R D White 2004

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Figure 9a
Waveforms

A.C.

Electrification

With regeneration operational on an AC electrification

network it is necessary for the following system scenarios
to be assessed under both normal and degraded modes:

System

Train and 25kV System behaviour

i 25kV system volts out of specified range VCB
opens
i 25 kV system frequency out of range VCB
opens.
Operation under Short Circuit of the 25kV overhead
line:
i Under a short circuit the regenerating train may
increase the total short circuit current, in the
worse case this will exceed that delivered by the
25kV system [ nominally 6 or 12 kA]
i If the s/c is local to the train the system voltage
will collapses
i If the s/c is remote from the train the train may
regenerates and masks the fault and possibly
extend the clearance time
Figure 9b

Operation when the overhead line is dead:

Locomotive A.C./D.C. Waveforms

The overhead line is required to be earthed when isolated.

If a train runs into a dead line prior to the section being
earthed the regenerating train will energises the section.
Operationally the following sequences could occur:
i Overhead line disconnects with train running;
i Train runs into a dead section;
i Voltage reapplied by Control Room will cause a
frequency synchronisation error.
Methods necessary to prevent energisation of a dead
section of overhead line:
i Train must disconnect within ms of voltage
collapse;
i Traction control system prohibits energisation of
a system with zero volts;
i Timeout functions required on the traction unit;
i Overhead line voltage detection is required at
the Electrical Control Centre
REGENERATION

REACTIVE POWER COMPENSATION

If regeneration is to be used on a railway operationally

there is a requirement for the technical interfacing of the
following systems:
i
i
i
i

On a.c. railway systems the control of the catenary

voltage is important if trains are to perform to
specification without causing mal operation of equipment
or loss of performance, this can be achieved by means of
single phase compensators since the maximum distance
between substations is a major factor which governs the
voltage regulation of the supply network.

Electrical Control Room

Distribution network
Overhead line protection system
Traction protection system

On remote locations in 25 kV-AC traction networks

voltage drop problems can occur, usually as a result of
increased train intensity.

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Static Var Compensator [SVC] has two principal

applications on a.c. railway electrification systems:-

i.
ii.

[TCR] or a self saturating reactor [SR]. Shunt capacitor

banks may be added when capacitive reactive power
generation is required.

It enables the peak load from the supply system

to be increased hence allowing an increase in
the substation spacing.
It reduces the 3-phase unbalance caused by the
single-phase loading.

Shunt compensation is often used to stabilise voltages on

power systems. The switched devices are used for
relatively slow speed applications but the faster forms are
capable of following very rapid load changes, such as a
steel rolling mill or even an arc furnace. The load
variations of an a.c. traction system may sometimes be
large enough to disturb the supply system but these
problems have until now been solved without
compensators.

Compensation to existing railway networks may be

applied at the start of the electrification project or be
added when the load reaches a critical level. A major
advantage of compensation systems is that installation of
the equipment will produce only a minimum amount of
disturbance to the flow of railway traffic on the
electrification system.

Application of Static Var Compensators

The SVC compensate voltage drops on remote
locations of 25 kV power systems by adding capacitive
power. This capacitive power is regulated by means of
a high voltage thyristor bridge, in order to deal with
power fluctuations in the grid.

Future electrification schemes are likely to be designed

with longer traction feeding sections and also higher
substation loads. In some areas of the world where it is
not economical to provide extensions to the high voltage
networks, longer feeding sections will become inevitable.
To achieve this the use of compensation networks will be
necessary, if minimum changes to the existing high
voltage network and only minimum costs are to be
incurred.

The system consists of outdoor equipment including

circuit breakers, current transformers, reactors and the
like.

Shunt and Series Static Var Compensators

Shunt and series compensation has been applied to three
phase power systems for several decades. It is not
generally used on a.c. railway systems but a few
installations have employed one or other form of
compensation to solve particular problems. There are two
types of reactive power compensators, series
compensators and shunt compensators. The basic
function of the compensator is to nullify the reactive
component of current [inductive], this is achieved by
including an alternative circuit which is actively
controlled to produce the correct system characteristic.
Series compensation comprises a capacitor in series with
the main power circuit that cancels part of the inductive
reactance of the system and makes possible a higher
power transfer. This technique is in use on many long
distance a.c. transmission schemes in several parts of the
world.

Figure 10 Simplified Static Var Compensator

CLASSIC FEEDING ARRANGEMENT
Short Circuit Characteristic
The short circuit characteristic is dominated by the
transformer source impedance and the impedance of
the overhead line. Typically the transformer impedance
is set to give 6 kA at 27.5 kV, this gives 4.58 ohms.

Shunt compensation is provided by inductors and/or

capacitors connected to an a.c. power system. With
shunt compensation the system voltage drop is reduced
by reducing the net value of reactive current drawn from
the power supply. The simplest form of variable shunt
compensator is a single inductor or capacitor controlled
by a mechanical switch, this may be divided into several
stages. These simple devices are very common and have
been in use for many years. An improved control of
reactive power may be achieved with a continuously
variable device such aa a thyristor controlled reactor

The effect of a short circuit will be:

i
i
i

Roger D White
Atkins

Impact on circuits subject to induction:

signalling and telecoms cables;
Impact on personal safety;
Impact on signalling track circuits;
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131

associated with unbalanced loads, but it does help to

reduce adverse effect on the supply authorities system.

Impact on the power supply equipment.

The security of the supply to the overhead line is

paramount for the reliability and efficiency of the whole
traction system. To achieve this level of reliability it is
normal for two supply points to be provided at each
feeder station each being able to carry the total traction
load for the feeder station under normal railway operating
conditions.

Return Conductors
[figure 10]
A 25 kV feeding is from the feeder station up to the mid
point track section location. The feeding sections are
therefore only half of the total feeding lengths between
feeder stations. One of the running rails of each track
carries the traction return current, these rails are all
bonded together and in turn bonded to each overhead line
structure thereby forming a distributed earthing system
and typically having an overall resistance to earth of less
than one ohm. At the feeder station the return rails are
connected to the earth side of the 25 kV winding of the
feeder transformer, or the negative side of the incoming
25 kV feed.

25 kV single phase supplies are received from the supply

authorities at railway feeder stations. The function of the
feeder station [FS], Intermediate track sectioning cabin
[ITSC] and mid point track sectioning cabin [MPTSC]
are to control the distribution of the supply to the
overhead line equipment.
At the FS each incoming feeder has its own circuit
breaker on the 25 kV busbar. The two feeds can be
isolated with the use of the bus-section circuit breaker
thus allowing both feeds to be independent of each other.
The HV feed is then supplied to the overhead line
through track feeder circuit breaker supplying the feed
for one main railway track in each direction from the
feeder station. It is necessary, therefore, to provide four
track feeder circuit breakers for a two track railway
system.
This somewhat complicated switching
arrangement does provide the operator with a very
versatile system under maintenance or outage conditions.

Booster Transformer Arrangement

Figure 11
Allowing the traction current to return through this
distributed earthing system to the feeder transformer is
liable to cause an excessive amount of electromagnetic
interference into adjacent telecommunications circuits.
To minimise this the current is constrained to return to
the feeder transformer in return conductors positioned
near to the 25 kV overhead line and in such a way as to
reduce the level of interference. The return current is
constrained to flow in the return conductor by booster
transformers [current transformers] which have their
primary connected in series with the 25 kV line and their
secondary connected in series with the return conductors
and the rail return. These booster transformers are
positioned at approximately 3 km intervals, one booster
is required for each 25 kV overhead track feed.
Classic Feeding Arrangement of the
Overhead Line
[Including boosters and return conductors]

Mid point track-sectioning cabins [MPTSC] are situated

at the midpoint between feeder stations. The function of
the MPTSC is to provide electrical separation between
adjacent supply points. The MPTSC also provides
sectioning and track paralleling for the 25 kV system .
This provides a high level of security and the best feeding
arrangements without the loss of supply. Intermediate
track sectioning cabins are positioned approximately half
way between FS and MPTSC, their function provides
paralleling of the overhead line and sectioning similar to
that of a MPTSC except ITSC are not able to terminate a
feeding section.

25kV

Classic system in the UK there are a total 25kV AC

7582 km figures for 2000/2001 Source is the 1999
Network Management Statement,

Reserved Service Capacity (RSC),

Normal feeding condition
Figure 2

The supply points for the railway electrification system

[25 kV] are normally provided at intervals of between
40-60 Km. This spacing is specified so that the overhead
line meets the specification for voltage regulation on the
25 kV system under worst case "second emergency
feeding" arrangement. The electricity supply authority
normally provides incoming feeder at 132 kV, however if
this is not available it is necessary to provide the supply
at 275 kV. With the supply being only single phase, the
electricity supply authority may try to balance its load by
supplying feeds from a different phase at adjacent
feeders. This will not eradicate all of the problems

Under normal feeding arrangements each FS supplies the

feed to a MPTSC in each direction. Further sectioning
and paralleling of the overhead line is provided by the
ITSC situated midway between the FS and the MPTSC.
Under normal feeding arrangements, therefore, it is
necessary to have the bus-section coupler in the FS and
MPTSC open, this ensures that the feed from the FS to
the MPTSC is single ended. Under this configuration
the 25 kV system fault level is limited to 6 kA, this
restricts the interference and high voltages to earth in

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lineside track signalling and telecommunications

equipment. To cope with such high fault currents the
switchgear is normally rated at 12 kA. If small feeder
transformers are used, it is possible to operate them in
parallel assuming that the phasing is common.

Figure 11a Typical Conductor Positions

Firm Service Capacity (FSC), for a single outage

condition
First stage emergency feeding
Figure 13
First stage "emergency feeding" is when a single circuit
outage occurs at a two-circuit supply point. The 25 kV
supply is maintained to the overhead line by closing the
bus-section circuit breaker. If it is necessary to maintain
a feeder transformer, the two incoming supplies may be
paralleled by closing the bus-section breaker. This will
ensure that during the changeover, as the feeder
transformer is being isolated, supply is maintained to
both the feeding sections.
Conditional Service Capacity (CSC), for a double
outage condition
Second Stage emergency feeding
Figure 14
Second stage "emergency feeding" is when a FS has a
complete loss of supply. This could be caused by a
failure of the 132 kV feed provided by the electricity
supply authority, or a failure of the one or two feeder
transformers in the FS. It is vital that the 25 kV a.c.
supply is maintained to ensure that the railway service
does not come to a standstill. This is achieved by
isolating the faulty feeds/transformers, once this has been
accomplished the bus-section breakers in the FS can be
opened and the bus-section breakers in the adjacent
MPTSC closed. This will enable the supply from the two
adjacent feeder stations to feed right up to the nonsupplying feeder that has now become a MPTSC

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Figure 11b Typical Conductor Positions

Figure 12

Classic Arrangement of the Overhead Line including Booster

Transformers and Return Conductors

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.
Figure 13

25 kV Firm Service Capacity (FSC) or Emergency Feeding 1st Stage

Feeder Station
2x18MVA

Intermediate
Track Sectioning Cabin

Mid Point
Track Sectioning Cabin

Intermediate
Track Sectioning Cabin

Feeder Station
1x18MVA

Copyright R D White 2004

132/25kV Transformer
Circuit Breaker Normally Open
Circuit Breaker Normally Closed
Neutral Section

Figure 14

Conditional Service Capacity (CSC) 25 kV Emergency Feeding 2nd Stage

Feeder Station
2x18MVA

Intermediate
Track Sectioning Cabin

Mid Point
Track Sectioning Cabin

Intermediate
Track Sectioning Cabin

Copyright R D White 2004

132/25kV Transformer
Circuit Breaker Normally Open
Circuit Breaker Normally Closed
Neutral Section
Section Overlap

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Feeder Station
1x18MVA

Feeding Arrangements Degraded Modes

i.

Effect of feeder station outage

Under emergency feeding, the section near
the feeder station can carry increased load
currents. This is reduced to some extent by
the reduction of voltage at remote trains and
active voltage control that is incorporated in
some train designs.

In recent years the railway industry in Europe and

worldwide has been under great commercial pressure from
the airlines industry. To compete with airlines over 5001000 km it has become necessary for railways to increase
the line speed to 200-300 km/hr. The rapid expansion of the
motorway network has also not been able to cope with the
growth in the road freight and passenger transport.

ii.

Effect of circuit breaker failure.

If a circuit breaker fails in a feeder section,
the current paths can be altered. For example
if a track feeder breaker fails at a feeder
station, the current for both tracks will flow
out in one feeing section, with current
returning from the next section cabin.

There has been a need to build high speed passenger

intercity lines and to upgrade existing 25 kV passenger and
freight lines. Increasing trainload, operational speed, and
the frequency of trains now requires the introduction of a
stronger and more robust electrification distribution system.

iii.

Removal of track circuit bonds

Track
circuits
bonds
can
become
disconnected due to track alignment and
other maintenance equipment. Disconnection
will mean that the rail potentials will increase
beyond the normal operating limit.

iv.

Effect on induced voltage if booster

transformers are out of service.
If a booster transformer is out of service, the
return current will flow in rails and return
conductors, increasing the per-unit voltage
induced in that section. A study has shown
that a substantial increase is possible if two
booster transformers are out of service
between two section cabins.

This necessity to increase trainload, operational speed,

and the frequency of trains required the introduction of a
stronger and more rugged electrification distribution
system. Autotransformer has been introduced in a number
of countries including in Australia [Blackwater and
Gregory Coal line], Chinese Railways [Datong to
Qinhaungdao], Russia [Vjazma to Orsha], Japan [Bullet
Train], France [TGV Lines], Spain, Belgium [TGV
Lines], Hungarian State Railway [Lake Balaton] and New
Zealand [North Island line].
Currently the UK has Autotransformer systems on the
WCML, Midland Main Line and HS1 (Channel Tunnel
Rail Link) and similar systems are being implemented on
Great Western Electrification, East Coast, Crossrail and
HS2.
Asymmetric Autotransformers
Introducing an asymmetric autotransformer (AAT) system
could offer larger power capacity compared to symmetric
autotransformers (AT) and thereby fewer Grid connections.
The increase in capacity would be achieved by increasing
the autotransformer-feeder (ATF) voltage from the present 25kV to higher levels.

25 KV AUTOTRANSFORMER RAILWAY
ELECTRIFICATION SYSTEM
Figure15
Autotransformers (ATs) were first used for railway
electrification design in 1913 when the New York,
New Haven and Hertford railway electrification was
extended to New Haven.

Principle the Autotransformer System

Autotransformer supply schemes are increasingly used for
high speed AC. Electrification. The supply takes advantage
of the 50 kV (2 x 25 kV) power transmissions yet being able
to utilise the standard 25 kV traction equipment. The
autotransformer works on the principle that the train is
supplied between the +25 kV and rail with a parallel feeder
at -25 kV. The current in the traction unit (25 kV) is twice
the current returning to the autotransformer feeder station
(ATF) at the equivalent of 50 kV.

The AT design was introduced to reduce the line

loss and the inductive interference on the 11 kV
25 Hz electrification system.
The idea was then adopted by the Japanese in 1962
for the extension of one of their railway lines, at 250-25kV system. Subsequently in 1981 SNCF
adopted the 25-0-25kV for use on a section of the
Paris-Lyon TGV line. This new arrangement proved
so successful, that SNCF adopted it as the standard
feeding arrangement for each of their new TGV
lines.

The operation of classic systems is different from the

autotransformer arrangements in that the booster
transformer is only energised when a train is in section,
whilst the autotransformer is energised whenever the supply

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is available in section and is independent of train

position. In practice however most of the train current
is supplied from the two adjacent autotransformers,
making a power circuit where the current is supplied
mainly in the catenary and auxiliary feeder. The main
advantage of the autotransformer system over the
booster transformer system is that the voltage drop
in the supply system [nominally 50kV] is less, with
the auto-transformer capable of supplying more
power with less system losses, providing there is a
train in section.

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Figure 15a

25-0-25 kV Electrification Autotransformer Feeding Arrangement

Figure 15a

25-0-25 kV Electrification Autotransformer current distribution

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Connection to the Electricity Grid

reduction in the overhead line impedance [the removal

of booster transformers], that enables the autotransformer feeding arrangement to supply longer
feeder sections when compared with the Classic 25
kV system.

50kV feeds have been introduced on railway network

where it is difficult to obtain a feed from the Country's
Electricity Supply Network. The introduction of 50kV
distribution with or without Autotransformer does enable
the distance between feeder station to be increased
significantly alleviating the problem of access to the
Electricity Supply Network.

Two Track Auto transformer Feeding

The most commonly used AT system in use is two
track high speed railway, using a two track mesh
feeding arrangement with ATs spaced at 5 or 10 km.
The feeding arrangement is such that when a fault
occurs on either feed, both feeds are disconnected.
With the feeds electrically isolated the track feeder
circuit breakers are closed. The feed with the fault will
immediately open, the circuit can then be isolated
leaving the remaining circuits operational.

The ideal connection for an AT System is to the existing

National Grid Substation with a high level of security of
supply and high fault level. The figure 14 shows a typical
double circuit input from a 400kV Super grid Supply
Point. The primaries are connected across two phases of
the supply. The secondary are centre tapped the two
poles connected to +25kV and 25kV and the centre tap
connected to rail earth.

Four Track Auto Transformer Feeding

It is possible to feed a four-track railway however the
feeding and protection system is more complex. A
feeding of a four track electrified railway will normally
be split with two fast and 2 slow tracks, Theses lines
can either be fed separately [2 by 2] or in parallel [4
x1]. If the slow and fast lines are separated there is a
requirement to install two autotransformers at each AT
site; on the other hand if all tracks are fed in parallel
only one autotransformer is required.

50kV feeding arrangements of the overhead line can be

introduced on railway networks where it is difficult to
obtain a feed from the countrys own electricity supply
network.
Short Circuit Characteristic
The short circuit characteristic is dominated by the
transformer source impedance and the impedance of
the overhead line. Typically the transformer impedance
is set to give 12 kA at 27.5 kV, this gives 2.29 ohms.

The overhead line is sectioned at neutral sections

located at the feeder stations and at mid points between
feeder stations.

The effect of a short circuit will be:

i
i
i
i

i.

Impact on circuits subject to induction:

signalling and telecoms cables;
Impact on personal safety;
Impact on signalling track circuits;
Impact on the power supply equipment.

ii.

Electrical Supply Grid Transformers

The substation transformers are typically 400/50kV, 40
or 80MVA with source impedance 15% specified to limit
the maximum short circuit current on 25kV systems to
12kA. This is dictated by the requirement of a higher
power for increased trainloads and increased speeds of
inter city trains.. The track feeder circuit breakers are
typically rated at 1200A and 12kA for short circuit duty.
Auto-transformers are typically rated at 10MVA and
impedance 0.17+j0.92 ohms at 50 Hz [CCITT

First stage emergency feeding requires the

closure of the mid-bus-section circuit breakers
at the feeder station.
A complete outage at a feeder station will
require the closure of the mid-bus-section
circuit breakers at the mid point and the opening
of the bus section breakers at the feeder station.
The section of track is then fed by the adjacent
feeder stations.

The auxiliary feeder conductors [-25kV] act as the return

path to the feeder station at 50kV, which reduces the
level of the supply current and acts to suppress the
railway magnetic fields and subsequent induced voltages
into lineside conductors.
AUTOTRANSFORMER VERSES CLASSIC
FEEDING ARRANGEMENT
The main advantage of the auto-transformer system
over the booster transformer system is that the voltage
drop in the supply system [nominally 50kV] is less,
with the auto-transformer capable of supplying more
power with less system losses, providing there is a train
in section.

Feeding Arrangement of the Overhead Line

Figure 16
Single Phase transformer impedance is specified to
limit the maximum fault currents on the 25-0-25 kV
a.c. system to typically 12kA. It is the reduction in the
source impedance of the electrical supply and the
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x.

The Benefits of the 25-0-25 kV [AT system] verses

25kV Classic system:
i.

Increased distance between feeder station due to a

lower line current
ii. Reduced initial cost of providing electrical supply
points.
iii. System requires fewer HV electrical supply feeds.
iv. Increased length of feeding.
v. Reduced losses in the distribution system.
vi. Reduced voltage drops on the overhead line.
vii. No requirement for a separate return conductor
and booster transformer.
viii. Capable of operating with increased levels of
traction loads when compared to Classic booster
arrangement of the overhead line.

A more simple arrangement of the contact

wire and catenary is required, since no
sectioning is required as with booster
transformer return conductor system.

The Disadvantages of 25-0-25kV [AT system] verses

25kV Classic System:
i.

Need to provide auto-transformers at regular

intervals [typically 10km].
ii. Increase in distribution voltage creates a 25-025kV network, increased insulation and clearances
to be considered.
iii. The feeding arrangement of the +25-0-25kV
overhead line is more complex than Classic
feeding arrangement.
iv. More feeder circuit breakers are required with an
AT system.
v. Autotransformers are energised continuously
compared to Booster Transformers.
vi. AT system is inherently difficult to interface with
Classic system.
vii. Higher fault current of the AT system will create
higher levels of rail potential.
viii. More complex protection regime required.

Other factors to be determined

ix. Level of induced voltage and telephones and
lineside conductors of adjacent private or railway
owned telecommunications networks is dependant
on the AT spacing, train load and short circuit
level between ATs.

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Grid Connection
& Transformer

Auto transformer
-25kV Busbar

-25kV Busbar

-25kV Conductor

-25kV Conductor

+25kV
Busbar

+25kV Lines
Return Current
Busbar

Rails

Grid Connection
& Transformer

Auto Transformer
Matrix

Neutral Section
+25kV Lines
Rails
-25kV Conductor

Earth leakage
Figure 16

Multi Conductor
Matrix

Typical 25-0-25 Two Track Autotransformer Arrangement, Four Tracks in Parallel

Roger D White
Atkins

14/05/2013

141

The limits of longitudinal [personal safety]and

transverse voltage [signal to noise ratio] are defined as
follows:
i Longitudinal
voltage
along
a
telecommunications cable; this is typically at the
power frequency and is critical for human safety
and disturbance to equipment. Longitudinal
650V for < 200ms EN 50121-4 [BR13422 430V
200mS]

INDUCED VOLTAGE INTO RAILWAY AND

PUBLIC TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK
Lineside Telecommunications Systems
The railway system requires a telecommunications
network in order that it can communicate between all
outposts, stations, control rooms, train operations,
maintenance depots and staffing for the operation of
the railway. Communication is required from the track
to the control room to ensure safe operation of the
railway over the whole area of the railway network.

Most railway networks operate their own telephone

network, this telecommunication system being laid in a
trunking beside the running rails. With the
development of a new railway network the design will
include optical fibres and digital transmission systems.

Safety of Personnel, maintainers etc

The integrity for a railway network is dependent upon
the correct operation of the low voltage signalling
circuits. The circuits use the running rails as well as
cables which run parallel to the track and to the
overhead traction conductor, therefore it is possible for
the traction current to interfere with the low power
signalling circuits due to electromagnetic or conductive
mechanisms. It is necessary that the magnitude of this
interference must be reduced to levels which will not
threaten the safe operation of trains, nor the safety of
any personnel who are likely to come in contact with a
part of the signalling system.

The public telecommunications network in towns and

cities may be susceptible to interference from the
railway network, this would particularly be the case
with metro and urban railway systems.
The railway system produces high levels of traction
current which flow in the electrification system, this
flow of current is responsible for producing EMI into
its own and other telecommunication networks which
are in the vicinity of the railway. The
telecommunications system is required for operational
reasons and therefore the level of interference is a
safety issue, which must be addressed to ensure safe
operation of the railway network.

The levels adopted are those specified in the

International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative
Committee [CCITT] directives concerning the
protection of telecommunications lines against harmful
effects of power lines.

The fundamental generation of EMI into

telecommunications networks occurs where there is
flux linkage between the electrification out and return
currents with the telecommunications cables. The
electrification out and return currents are normally
balanced, however if there is an imbalance in the
power system this will produce a loop in which there is
a changing magnetic field and consequently may
induced e.m.f. in any telecommunications cables
within the vicinity.

With regard to signalling circuits, the longitudinally

induced emfs should not exceed the following levels:
i

Disturbance Effects into telecoms circuits

The induced voltage into telecommunications cables is
dependant on a number of parameters including:
i Size and frequency [50Hz] of the power circuit
current
i Length of parallelism
i Mutual coupling between power circuit and
telecoms
i Separation of the feed and return conductors
i Separation of the cable and the power cables
i Earth proximity effects
i Intentional and unintentional screening effects.

Roger D White
Atkins

Transverse voltage is an induced voltage

[disturbance of various frequencies] onto the
telecommunications cable. Transverse 0.5 mV
ITU 0.41 [ BR13422 1.5mV]

Under normal conditions: 60 volts rms. In

situations where there is no exposure to other
than technical staff to any direct contact with
signalling lines circuits, the limitation of 60V is
normally raised to 110V, as this voltage is a
common supply voltage for signalling systems.
Maximum induced voltage occurring on lineside
cable conductors will be 430V, the fault
duration not exceeding 200mS.

Safety of Telecommunications Equipment

[Longitudinal Voltage]
This is defined as a disturbance resulting in degradation
of useful signals and merely hampers the exchange of
communications. The rating of individual manufacturers
equipment will vary but should nominally be rated to
about 1000V. [new equipment]

14/05/2013
142

The limit defined in the European Standard states that

equipment should be able to withstand as specified for a
50Hz Railway EN 50121 - 4:
i 150V 50Hz for traction current
i 650V rms 50Hz for short circuit
i 100A/m Power frequency magnetic field

M =

2Ploge[D/a] x103 PH/km

2S

Parallel Conductors with a common earth return

This is the most significant form of inductive coupled
disturbance in telecommunications systems using
copper circuits adjacent to a.c. electrification systems.
This considers the effect of the proportion of the
traction return current that enters the earth. The mutual
coupling of this system is high with large inductive
loop being set up between the traction overhead [go
circuit] and a conductor in a telecommunications
system with a common earth return. The analysis used
is defined in terms of the mutual coupling per unit
length in terms of the Carson Clem equation

a)
Existing equipment may be specified in the
UK to 430 volts rms
Interference into telecommunications
equipment [Transverse Voltage]
Psophometrically weighted primary current:
Psophometric current is defined as the rms addition of
all the harmonic currents in the traction units primary
current wave-shape; each harmonic first being
attenuated in accordance with the appropriate CCITT
weighting curve: this curve. The psophometric current
therefore is an indication of the level of interference
that will be produced at that point in time for the
traction unit. The interference mechanism is by
electromagnetic induction from the traction high power
into the low power telecommunications networks.
Conventional telecommunications networks only are
affected, digitised and optical links are inherently
immune from such interference.

Function for calculating the self impedance per metre:

Xself_imp( Radius ) 

where

n=
p=
nth harmonic

 4 S

1 10

30

659 frequency
ln
i
Radius

Function for calculating mutual impedance per metre between conductors

frequency
6

1.01 10

[I2n p2n]
harmonic number
psophometric weighting factor of the

 4 S

frequency
7

1 10

30

659 frequency
distance

ln

Psophometric Weighted Primary Current

If a conventional traction converter is to be used this
will contain odd multiple of the fundamental
waveform. However if a multiple interlaced PWM
input traction converter [PMCF] is to be used the
overall Psophometric weighted primary current should
be less than conventional traction units. The
application of interlacing if used should reduce the
switching harmonic [n Hz] and produce harmonics at
multiples of the switching harmonic [2n, 4n, 6n Hz].
This is determined by the interlacing. These harmonics
should exceed 1 kHz the peak of Psophometric
Weighting Curve.

Coupling Effect
Inductive effects occur due to time varying changes in
the current that is flowing in long line conductors. The
disturbance effects are found in time varying 50Hz
magnetic field of a.c. railways and d.c. railways. In
particular mutual coupling between long parallel
conductors on railway systems that are isolated and
share a common earth return system. This earth return
system is intentional in the case of a.c. railways and is
via the rail leakage and the mast foundations, however
in the case of d.c. railways where the rails are insulated
from the track base and fixings is unintentional. The
effects due to direct inductive coupling from under car
mounted electrical equipment, should also be assessed.

If the converter harmonics line up with the

characteristic high impedance frequencies on the
overhead line this will produce a resonance effect.
These effects should be examined, as the effect of this
may increase the psophometric primary current
typically by a factor of 3.
The psophometric weighting of the primary current
waveform due to the fundamental and harmonics will
be responsible for induction and interference into
lineside cables. This may impact on copper telecom
circuits in DC schemes with supply harmonics up to
12kHz.

Parallel conductors with earth isolated circuits

The mutual coupling between two parallel coupled
circuits is defined in terms of the inductance per unit
length of a two conductor of a disturbing circuit
interfering into a low power circuit. This is normal
circuit theory and defined many Electrical Engineering
Texts. This particular effect takes into consideration
the induced voltage from a 3 phase 50Hz distribution
system and the interference into a 50 Hz track circuit,
traditionally used on d.c. Railways.

Roger D White
Atkins

frequency

1.01 10

Xmut_imp( distance ) 

I pso

frequency

14/05/2013
143

Arcing on railway systems is inevitable with the

necessity to collect current by the use of a current
collection system from a conductor rail or overhead
line conductor. The arc can be produced on the high
voltage or less likely on the earthed return to the
sub/feeder station. Arcing is produced by two parts of
the system separatincg and producing an ionised
electric field. This ionised field under high voltage
stress produces a path for the passage of electric
current, which is perceived as an electric arc. Like arcs
in gaseous media or air, once established is relatively
stable or self sustaining. It will continue to operate and
draw energy from the electrical supply system, until
some external affect, such as the occurrence of a current
zero removes its source of energy. The arc will remain
until either the gap is closed, the gap is increased to
such an extent that the arc cannot be sustained or the
current in reduced to zero. This statement is not
completely accurate in that at low levels of current the
arc can become unstable and spontaneously extinguish,
this is known as current chopping.

RFI ELECTRIFICATION DISTURBANCE

The a.c. electrification system can be a major source of
disturbance to the railway including the signalling and
control systems, stations, utilities and the traction
connected loads. The limits of emissions are detailed in
specific standards including EN 50121-5.
Immunity Concerns
The immunity concerns are related to the connection of
25kV systems to 132, 275 & 400 kV power supply
networks. The interface may produce high rise of earth
potentials and interference due to lightning strike
Radio Frequency Interference on Railway Systems
The electrified railway distribution networks are
responsible for generating RFI into public and railway
electrical systems. Some of the generation of RFI is
due to the following mechanisms:

i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.
viii.
ix.
x.

xi.

xii.

Arcing occurring between the contact

wire/third rail and the current collection
mechanism.
Arcing produced by the disturbances on the
overhead line or third rail supply system.
transients due to raising the traction unit
pantograph
interaction of power system contacts earthing,
wheel rail, rail to rail
operation of multiple pantographs
Operation of the traction unit pantograph with
multiple contact wires.
hv switching of the power system
resonance of the power system at MHz
Excessive voltage stress across insulators
produces corona discharge under dry weather
conditions.
The intermittent passage of track circuit
current producing a spark through poor wheel
to rail, which moves with the train, or rail to
rail contact.
The generation of RFI can be observed from
track circuits that operate in the kHz band;
this is accompanied by a high voltage impulse
and is used to break down rust and bad contact
in the track circuit.
Switching of thyristors and semiconductors
gives rise to mains-borne harmonics in the
radio-frequency range. The radio-frequency
interference with communication systems can
either originate from the devices themselves,
or from the load equipment, or via radiation
from the main supply lines. Screening of the
equipment will eliminate most of the directly
radiated interference, but not that from the
mains for which filters must be used.

Roger D White
Atkins

Limits of emissions
ENV 50121-2 specifies the method for measuring
electromagnetic noise at radio frequencies emitted by
railway vehicles. This is specific in that a railway
network has features which make necessary the use of
special method of measurement. These features include
a rapidly moving source and the possibility of radiation
from long antenna formed by the electrical supply
conductors of an electrified railway. The European
Standard EN 50121-2 gives the current limit of the
level of electric and magnetic field emission from
traction and rolling stock. This is in the frequency
range 9 kHz-1GHz, as measured 10 metres from the
centre line of the railway track bed. The vertical
position of the antenna is taken to be 1 metre above the
ground
FEEDER STATION
Auxiliaries
The operation of the auxiliaries at the feeder station at
track section cabins requires a feed from the regional
electrical supply authorities [REC]. In providing this
supply care should be taken to assess the requirements to
segregate the earthing of the REC supplies and the
traction supplies.
The REC supplies are required to provide all domestic,
protection, control system and SCADA equipment within
the Feeder Station. There is a requirement to provide
batteries together with trickle charging apparatus are
required to provide power supply for [a] solenoids for the
operation of the circuit breakers and [b] for the
supervisory control system, relays etc.

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144

A separate low voltage a.c. supply is also brought into the

substation to provide power for signalling. On the a.c.
system the signalling control requires a power supply at
650 volts necessitating an auxiliary transformer. I n
addition should the low voltage a.c. supply fail, a standby
supply is provided which is taken from the overhead
system via an automatic voltage regulated step down
transformer, or via a standby generator.

The main sources of earth and phase-phase faults to

HV National Grid supplies and railway electrification
systems will be weather related (lightning, blizzards,
conductor clashing, wind related vibration, wind blown
debris, insulator damage and pollution, or from third
party sources including vandalism.

Calculation of System Loading

The electrification overhead line is a potential victim to

lightning strikes. The earth wire or earthed structure will
attract lightning to the overhead line. The lightning is
attracted to the earthed structure of the overhead line
thereby protecting the lineside equipment with an area up
to 20m from the railway.

Lightning Strikes

For system loading to be calculated, it is necessary to

produce a preliminary timetable based on a previous
survey of anticipated passenger journeys with the time
spent at stations and the turn around time at terminals. It
is also necessary to know the manufacturers' data
regarding traction motor characteristics along with details
of the estimated train weight and passenger load. If this
information is inserted into a computer simulation which
is able to model the performance of each train and the
overhead line and transformer supply system, it is
possible to predict the loading on the supply network and
the attenuation of the voltage in the overhead line.

Generation of Over Voltage Surge

The lightning current discharges through any
conductive path of the electrification systems including
connections to local and remote earth and will produce
a resistive and inductive voltage drop in relation to true
earth. The effect will be to produce a Rise of the Earth
Potential [ROEP] of the rail equipment to a high value
relative to true earth potential. This high ROEP will
inevitably create a danger to humans and livestock
within the vicinity.

Circuit Breakers
The purpose of a circuit breaker is to ensure the
unimpeded flow of current in a network under normal
operating conditions, and to interrupt the flow of
excessive current in a faulty network. It may also be
required to interrupt load current under some
circumstances and to perform an open-close-open
sequence [auto reclose] on a fault in others.

The point of the strike on the rail equipment may be

raised to a potential with respect top adjacent metal
that there is the risk of flashover from the protected
system onto other metallic structures. Lightning strikes
to HV power lines will cause a flashover to the earthed
tower or earth wire, this structure may then back
flashover to the other phases of the HV System. On
power lines the consequence of the lightning strike is a
single earth fault on the HV system, or a double earth
fault on the HV System fed from separate sources.

The successful achievement of these duties relies upon

the availability of good mechanical design to meet the
demands of opening and closing the circuit breaker
contacts, and good electrical design to ensure that the
circuit breaker can satisfy the electrical stress.

The lightning that strikes the railway infrastructure

produces a current of 10-100 kA with a rise time of
around 1S able to produce an over voltage surge that
travels in both directions along the line. When the
lightning strikes the mast the voltage is conducted to
remote earth producing flashover of the 25 kV insulators
and over voltages of up to 1 MV. In any analysis the
system behaviour is analysed with frequencies in the
order of MHz.

During the opening and closing sequence an electric arc

occurs between the contacts of the circuit breaker, and
advantage is taken of this discharge to assist in the
circuit-interruption process. For instance, in an a.c.
network, the arc is tolerated in a controlled manner until a
natural current zero of the waveform occurs when the
discharge is rapidly quenched to limit the reaction of the
system to the interruption.
LIGHTNING PROTECTION

Lightning protection is therefore required on sensitive

equipment including the electrification system traction
units and the electrification sub stations.

Causes of Over Voltages on Electrification Systems

The electricity supply and railway electrification
overhead line network will suffer from various overvoltage surges. These over voltages may be attributed
to lightning, switching circuits, earth faults, ferro
resonance on the HV system, equipment failure, age,
wear and third parties.

Roger D White
Atkins

Strikes Remote from the Railway

Strikes to the ground outside the protection area afforded
by the overhead lines will induce over voltage surges in
the 25kV lines and other lineside equipment. The effect
of these surges in ground potential will create flashover

14/05/2013
145

particularly in low voltage systems, positioned within the

vicinity of the railway [signalling and telecoms systems].
Lightning Protection
Structures exposed to lightning risk and connected to
the railway electrification system include; HV power
line and HV grid sub station, railway electrification
infrastructure, overhead line, earth and return systems
and rails.
To protect the electrification system, cables, substation
equipment from the effect of lightning surges induced in
the overhead equipment, various types of lightning
protection may be used including lightning arrestors,
spark gaps and non linear semiconductor devices. The
simplest and cheapest is the spark gap, which is
connected between line and earth. The arc is forced up
the horn by thermal effects and is eventually blown out,
thus ensuring that arcing does not continue when the
voltage falls to normal.
Lightning Protection Traction Units
Spark gaps are the only over-voltage protection provided
on the high voltage side of the locomotives and multiple
units, but the usefulness of this device is now doubtful as
only a few instances of the horns showing signs of
flashover has been recorded.
Filters are used to modify the overhead line parameters
preventing over-voltage occurring during rapid load
fluctuations. These features are built in at the design
stage following the detailed design of the supply system.
The specification for vehicles now includes a clause
stating that the complete vehicle should be able to
withstand an impulse test consisting of a full wave of 170
kV and a 1/50 microsecond chopped wave of 195 kV
applied to the pantograph.

Roger D White
Atkins

14/05/2013
146

DISTURBANCE
DUE
TO
ELECTRIFICATION SYSTEMS

THE

RFI from the Distribution System

i.
Current collection mechanism.
ii.
Operation with multiple contact wires.
iii.
HV switching of the power system
iv.
Resonance of the power system at MHz
v.
Excessive voltage stress across insulators
vi.
Disturbances on the overhead line

A.C.

HV Supply
i.
Unbalance of the 3 phase supply,
ii.
Harmonics three phase supply,
iii.
400kV earth faults
iv.
Rise of earth potentials

RFI from the Traction Unit

25 kV Distribution System
i.
Charging of the overhead line at 1st resonant
frequency
ii.
Switching on the a.c. power
iii.
Changes with the feeding arrangement,
iv.
Degraded modes: outages of the feeder
stations; outages of booster transformers
v.
Magnetic fields
vi.
Line resonance effects
vii.
25kV earth faults
viii.
Induced voltages into line-side cables
ix.
Neutral sections
x.
Radio Frequency Interference.

i.
ii.
iii.
iv.

Transients due to raising the traction unit

pantograph
Interaction of power system contacts
earthing, wheel rail, rail to rail
Operation of multiple pantographs
Switching of thyristors and semiconductors.

RFI from the Track Circuits

i.
ii.

Track circuit current producing arcing poor

wheel to rail,
High voltage impulse track circuit.

Traction Unit Disturbances

i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.

Inrush effects of the traction transformer,

Characteristic disturbance switching, overlap
effect
Production of 25kV system resonant
frequencies
Radio Frequency Interference
Disturbance to signalling track circuits
Return current systems
Return currents and earth currents to third
parties.

Disturbance to Signalling Track Circuits

i.
ii.
iii.

Ground voltages
Immunity Concerns from traction return
current
The immunity concerns are related to the
connection of 25kV systems to 132, 275 &
400 kV power supply networks. The interface
may produce high rise of earth potentials, and
interference due to lightning strike.

Roger D White
Atkins

14/05/2013
147

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING

Railway Group Standards

8.

GE/RT8016 Verification of Electrification

Systems and Interactions with Other Systems;
9. GE/RT8023 Compatibility between Electric Trains
and Electrification Systems;
10. GL/RT124 Persons Working on or near to AC
electrified Lines;
11. GE/RT8270 Assessment of Compatibility of
Rolling Stock and Infrastructure;
12. GL/RT1254 Electrified Lines Traction Bonding .

Relevant UK and European Standards

1.

IEC 60479-1 2005 Effects of current on human

beings and livestock;
2. BS EN 50122-1: Railway applications - fixed
installations, Part 1: Protective provisions relating
to electrical safety and earthing, BSI, 1998;
3. BS EN 50122-3: Railway applications - Fixed
installations - Electrical safety, earthing and the
return circuit - Part 3: Mutual Interaction of a.c.
and d.c. traction systems;
4. BS EN62305, Protection against Lightning, 2011;
5. BS EN50388:2005 Railway applications Power
supply and rolling stock Technical criteria for
the
coordination
between
power
supply(substation) and rolling stock to achieve
interoperability;
6. BS EN50119 Railway applications -Fixed
installations -Electric traction overhead contact
lines;
7. BS 7430, Code of Practice for Earthing, BSI,
1998;
8. Guidelines for the Design Installation Testing and
Maintenance of Main Earthing Systems EATS 4124 1992;
9. Electricity Council Engineering S 5/1;
10. Engineering Recommendation P24 AC Traction
Supplies to British Rail 1984.

Network Rail Standards

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

LV Networks

9.

1.

10.

2.
3.
4.

5.
6.
7.

BS 7671, Requirements for Electrical Installations.

IEE Wiring Regulations Seventeenth Edition, BSI,
2008;
BS EN 50310, Application of equipotential
bonding and earthing in buildings with
information technology equipment, BSI, 2006;
BS EN 50310, Application of equipotential
bonding and earthing in buildings with
information technology equipment, BSI, 2006;
Technical Specification 4124. Guidelines for the
Design, Installation, Testing and Maintenance of
Main Earthing Systems in Substations, Energy
Networks Association, 1992;
HD637, Power Installations Exceeding 1kV a.c.,
CENELEC, 1999;
Recommendation K-27, Bonding configuration
and earthing inside a telecommunication building,
ITU-T, 1996;
IEC 60364-1, Low Voltage electrical installations
- Part 1: Fundamental principles, assessment of
general characteristics, definition, IEC, 2005.

Roger D White
Atkins

11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

AC Traction Supplies to British Rail ER P24

[1984] Electricity Association recommendation;
NR/GN/ELP/00015, Signalling Power Supply
Design;
NR/SP/ELP/21106 25 kV a.c. System Protection
Calculations;
NR/SP/ELP/21085 Specification for the design of
earthing and bonding systems for 25kV a.c.
electrified lines;
NR/SP/ELP/21036 Specification for 25kV Booster
Transformers for a.c. electrified lines;
NR/SP/ELP/21078 Specification of design of the
Return Conductor Systems for AC Electrified
Lines;
NR/SP/ELP/21074 Overhead Line Equipment
Allocation design;
NR/SP/ELP/29987 Working on or about 25kV AC
Electrified Lines;
NR/GN/ELP/27312 Impedances of 25kV ac
overhead lines for Classic system;
NR/L2/ELP/27311
Technical
approval
of
electrical power asset design;
NR/L1/SIG/30040 EMC Strategy for Network
Rail;
NR/L2/RSC/30041 EMC Assurance process for
Network Rail;
NR/L2/TEL/30034, Radio Mast Lightning
Protection and Earthing System, Network Rail,
issue 02.
NR/GN/TEL/31106 Overview of Coupling
Between Traction Systems and Signalling &
Telecommunications Cables ( Non Mandatory)
NR/L2/TEL/31107 Limits and Test Method of
Induced Voltages on Telecommunications Cables
due to Electrification Systems

14/05/2013
148

7.
International Standards
8.
1.

2.
3.

4.
5.
6.
7.

8.

Technical Specification 4124. Guidelines for the

design, Installation, Testing and Maintenance of
Main Earthing Systems in Substations, Energy
Networks Association, 1992.
IEC 60364-1, Low Voltage electrical installations
- Part 1: Fundamental principles, assessment of
general characteristics, definition, IEC, 2005.
Technical Specification 4124. Guidelines for the
design, Installation, Testing and Maintenance of
Main Earthing Systems in Substations, Energy
Networks Association, 1992.
HD637, Power Installations Exceeding 1kV a.c.,
CENELEC, 1999.
Recommendation K-27, Bonding configuration
and earthing inside a telecommunication building,
ITU-T, 1996.
ITUT Directive Vol II Calculations of Induced
Voltage
ITUT Directive Vol VI concerning the protection
of telecommunication lines against harmful
effects from electric power and electrified railway
lines ITUT
IEC 60364-1, Low Voltage electrical installations
- Part 1: Fundamental principles, assessment of
general characteristics, definition, IEC, 2005.

9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.

UK Statutory documents
Bibliography:
Books Publications
1.

Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSIs)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

High speed TSI ENERGY

Conventional TSI ENERGY (in drafting 2006)
High speed TSI RST
Conventional TSI RST (in drafting 2006)
Rules of the Route: Rules of the Route (by area /
territory). Defines operational access, blockages,
engineering access
Rules of the Plan: Rules of the Plan (by area /
territory). Defines operating rules and allowances
for operational access
Working Timetable: Working Timetable (by
route). Defines existing and planned service
patterns
Rolling Stock Diagrams: Rolling Stock Diagrams.
Defines existing and planned utilisation of paths
and thereby traction demand

2.
3.

4.
5.
6.

UK and European Regulations:

The Railways Act 2005
Electricity at Work Regulations 1989.
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
EMC Regulations 2005
Electricity at Work Regulations 1989.
Requirements for Electrical Installations (BS
7671)

Roger D White
Atkins

White R. D, Chapter O5, 2000, Railway

Electrification, Kemps Engineering Handbook
Miller Freeman pp 2473 -2489, ISBN 086382 442
0.
Williams T Armstrong 2000, EMC for Systems
and Installations , Newnes ISBN 0-7506-4167-3.
Technical Specification for Interoperability
relating to energy subsystems of the Trans
European high speed rail system. 2002; Office of
the Journal of the European Union.
Marshman C; Guide to the EMC Directive; EPA
Press; ISBN 0-9517362-7-2.
H M Ryan, G R Jones SF6 Switchgear
Institution of Electrical Engineers.
A Greenwood, Vacuum Switchgear
Institution of Electrical Engineer.

Journal Publications
.
1. Carson JR Wave Propagation in Overhead wires
with ground return. 1926 Bell System Technical
Journal 5 p539-554.
2. Mellitt B Simulation shows how choppers can
save energy Railway Gazette International 135(4)
p300-304 1997.
3. Dr R J Hill Power Electric Railway Traction Part
1-7 Traction Systems, Power Engineering Journal
1997.
4. Seminar D.C. Traction Stray Current Control
21.10.99, IEE Railway Industry Group.

Bibliography

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

SI 1989 No. 635 Electricity at Work

Regulations1989.
Management of Health and Safety regulations
2011
Railway Safety Principles and Guidance Part 2
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1.
2.
3.
4.

5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

10.
11.
12.
13.

IET Residential Electric Traction School; 2012

London UK .
RSCS IET Professional Development Course
Notes 2012 London UK .
RTS Railway Traction Systems 13- 15 April 2010,
Birmingham, UK
Proceedings of ASPECT 2006 IRSE Quality of
service through Signalling and Communications
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre Westminster
London 16-17th March 2006.
Proceedings of EMC in Railways IET Seminar
Austin Court Birmingham 28th September 2006
Symposium on Research and Development in
Railway Engineering Asia Pacific; IEE and IEEE
Hong Kong, Hong Kong March 2005.
Seminar Proceedings Traction Power Supplies
IMechE Birdcage Walk London January 2004.
IRSE ASPECT 2003; Signs of the Times for Train
Control; Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre
London UK.
The Electricity Council Chief Engineers
Conference, Limits for Harmonics in the United
Kingdom Electricity Supply Engineering
Recommendation G5/4 2002.
Colloquium on Systems Engineering on Large
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New Century'. Publication 279.

File IEE REIS AC 2013

Author Dr R D White April 2013,
Atkins [UK]
roger.white@atkinsglobal.com
roger@whitex.net

Roger D White
Atkins

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