PROPOSED ELECTRIC TRACTION SYSTEM FOR AUCKLAND

Jan Stelmach
MSc Elect Eng CPEng MIEAust
D’ACE Design And Consulting Engineers

SUMMARY
The electrification of the Auckland passenger service is one of the biggest transport infrastructure projects
undertaken by the government of New Zealand.
The Auckland Electrified Area (AEA) consists of approximately 175 Single Track Kilometres over five
existing, yet to be built and upgraded railway lines.
This paper describes the general requirement for the railway fixed electrical infrastructure and then
discusses the applied process and tools used to determine the most appropriate traction system for the
Auckland electrification. It also points to the challenges encountered and solutions found during that
process.
The project is in progress and therefore this paper refers to its present status as at the end of September
2008.

Figure 1, Map of Auckland Railway Network

The presently considered traction infrastructure is

1. INTRODUCTION
a Simple Rail Return 25kV 50Hz Overhead Wiring
The long awaited electrification of the passenger system.
service railway in Auckland will extend from There are still several unknown factors that may
Swanson in the West, Papakura in the South and impact on the final details of the selected system
to Britomart in the CBD. The Eastern line from from the type of signalling system to be used to
Westfield as well as branch lines from Onehunga the electrical characteristics of the rollingstock.
and Manukau will also be electrified. This work is
in progress.
Electric power will be supplied from railway
substations located in Penrose and Southdown.

IRSE Technical Meeting: Auckland Page 1 of 9 7th November 2008

Jan Stelmach Proposed Traction System For Auckland
D’ACE Design And Consulting Engineers

2. TRACTION POWER SYSTEMS IN THE

WORLD Germany, one of the most populated and
There has been a significant revival in railways in industrialised countries in Europe operates a15kV
general and electrified railways in particular all a.c. 16.7Hz network. The power supply comes
over the world in the recent past. This from Deutsche Bahn’s own generation and
phenomenon can be attributed to increasing distribution 110kV single phase system that is
population levels, environmental concerns in separate from the rest of the country’s
respect to CO2 emissions and high oil prices. The transmission network. The 110kV is transformed to
comfort of rail travel also contributes to the 15kV at railway substations.
increased popularity of this form of transport.
Electric railways have been the backbone of
transportation systems in Europe for decades.
Examples of recent major projects in Asia include
Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Perth and Brisbane
in Australia. This year the government of South
Australia allocated funds for the electrification of
the Adelaide metropolitan passenger system of
some 200 Single Track Kilometres.
The function of electric railways is to safely move
people and cargo using electric trains that travel,
under their own power, on electrified tracks. The
‘electrified tracks’ are termed electric traction
system. Figure 2, 15kV ac ICE Train on purpose built high speed
track, Germany
There are several types of electric traction systems
ranging from low voltage to high voltage, direct
Neighbouring Poland adopted in the early 1900’s a
current and alternating current, overhead and third
or fourth ‘live’ rail i.e. current is collected from rail 3kV d.c. system. It seemed an excellent idea at
mounted at track level. European railways use that time. The speed and torque of d.c. motors
both ac and dc high voltage overhead systems on have been, until the recent development of power
intercity main-line services whilst inner city mass electronics, relatively easier to control than
transit (operating trams, underground lines and induction motors. Obviously the use of lower
voltages to feed railway network has the
trolleybuses) are usually powered by a dc low
disadvantage of a high current required to provide
voltage network.
the same power to the trains and this in turn
To set the scene for discussion on the topic of this causes a significant voltage drop along the line. To
paper (i.e. selection of Traction System for counter this a much larger number of substations
Auckland) it is worth going into some further needs to be built. 100 years on and real estate is
details of examples of electric railway networks in at a premium in Europe. Going further west, the
Europe and Australia. traction system in the United Kingdom is 25kV a.c.
Countries that form the European Union, for 50Hz overhead whilst southern France runs their
historical reasons, developed and now maintain trains on a 1.5kV d.c. network. Despite all of these
electric traction systems width widely different technical and political differences, the trains run
characteristics. This situation is similar to smoothly between European countries.
Australia’s rail networks in respect to rail gauges.
Separate colonies established gauges based on
individual preferences and often, country of origin
of their respective chief engineers. Now, in
federation, states have to deal with the issue of
compatibility of rolling stock and maintain dual and
even triple gauge rail tracks to accommodate
multiple rail gauges.
System Voltage Long Distance Traction Lines
1.5kV dc 11%
3kV dc 38%
15kV 16.7Hz 18%
25kV 50Hz 33%
Table 1, Traction Lines in the World, 19971
Figure 3, 600Vdc Tram in Warsaw, Poland

1
Data from ‘Contact Lines for Electric Railways’ Siemens
Publication 2001

IRSE Technical Meeting: Auckland Page 2 of 9 7th November 2008

Jan Stelmach Proposed Traction System For Auckland
D’ACE Design And Consulting Engineers

Member countries of the EU put a lot of effort into distances between supports that in turn improves
inter-operability of their trans-European high- aesthetics of the installation.
speed rail systems. This has manifested itself in
the appointment of the European Association for
Railway Interoperability in 2002. The Association
is responsible for preparing and issuing technical
specifications for the interoperability of each
system. Specifications concern design,
construction, upgrading and operation of the fixed
infrastructure and the rollingstock.
The importance is also signified by the
development in late 1990’s and early 2000’s of
several standards to regulate in great detail all
technical aspects of railway networks across
Europe.
Figure 4, Karlsruhe Tram sharing DB Main Line

Highest
Lowest Highest
Lowest
Electrification
Non-
Permanent
Nominal
Permanent
Non- 3. ELECTRIFIED RAILWAYS
permanent Voltage permanent
System Voltage Voltage
Voltage
Voltage When asked what is an electrified railway,
[V] [V] [V] [V] [V] answers usually differ as widely as the engineering
400 600 720 770 speciality of responding professionals. One would
Direct
Current
500 750 900 960 however have to agree that an electrified railway is
(mean value) 1000 1500 1800 1950 a complete system. This is a system that consists
2000 3000 3600 3900 of several components, all of which need to work
Alternating
Current
11000 12000 15000 17200 18000 seamlessly together to provide the required
(rms value)
17500 19000 25000 27500 29000 service. By the service, we mean the infrastructure
Table 2, European Voltage Systems 2 that allows passengers to travel in comfort or
move cargo on time in a reliable and safe way. As
Another interesting example is the German city of the specification of the required service is in the
Karlsruhe that has, as a first in Europe, domain of planners and operators, this paper will
implemented track-sharing for light and heavy rail focus on issues relating to electrical infrastructure
vehicles using dual Voltage (15kVa.c. and which supports that service.
750Vd.c.) rollingstock.
Development of power electronics technology and
its proven applications became the main reason
for selecting 25kV ac 50Hz as the preferred
traction system in countries that relatively recently
commenced electrification.
The examples in Australia are the Brisbane
passenger and Queensland freight network
operating at 25kV and 2x25kV (Autotransformer)
respectively (electrified in 1970’s) and Perth with
its 25kV Booster Transformer Return Current
system where the first lines were electrified in the
late 1980’s. Figure 5, 132/25kV Railway Substation, Perth, Australia
ONTRACK owns and operates the North Island
Main Trunk using a 25kV autotransformer system Our main interest is the electric railway fixed
in the section between Palmerston North and infrastructure. In broad terms, it consists of power
Hamilton. This section of line was electrified in the generation, power supply, power distribution and
3
1980’s . an overhead wiring system that, through the
pantograph to contact wire contact point, provides
The clear advantages of a high voltage a.c. power to electric trains. Generation, although an
system are lower line currents that translate into important part of the infrastructure, will not be
better voltage regulation along the line, lesser discussed further as most of the railway operators
number of substations to service similar lengths of source power from public networks and therefore
the track in comparison to d.c., smaller cross this is normally outside their control.
sectional area of overhead conductors, longer All components of fixed infrastructure are shown in
Figure 5.
2
EN 50163:1995 Other subsystems like protection, communication,
3
‘NIMT Railway Traction Power Supply System’ M. Denley, traction SCADA as well as earthing and bonding
IPENZ Paper, Dunedin, NZ, Feb 1989

IRSE Technical Meeting: Auckland Page 3 of 9 7th November 2008

Jan Stelmach
D’ACE Design And Consulting Engineers
are hidden from the view but they play an essential
part in supporting the safe and reliable operation
of the electrical infrastructure.
3.1 Power Supply
Power supply to railway substations is sourced
from public High Voltage networks. Due to high
variations in magnitude of the single phase
electrical load, the power source must have high
level of short circuit power capacity. In Perth,
these values are in an order of 5 to 6GVA.
Typically networks at 132kV and above are
considered to be suitable as power sources.
Additionally, the preference is given to connections
at major terminals rather than radially fed zone
substations due to the much higher reliability of
ring connected nodes. The higher the incoming
voltage and short circuit power however the higher
are the costs of the step-down railway power
transformers due to increased cost in insulation.
The usual challenge is in finding a suitable power
source especially in less industrialised and remote
areas.
3.2 Power Quality Considerations
The single phase load presented by electric
rollingstock causes voltage and current imbalance,
voltage fluctuations, emits harmonics and in the
case of older style rollingstock propulsion systems
(6 and 12 pulse converters), has low power factor.
In short, electric railways are classified as highly
fluctuating and distorting loads. The local
transmission network providers quarantine their
networks by requiring customers to meet certain
load performance criteria. The criteria (also
referred to as performance standards), are mainly
based on the AS/NZS 61000 suite of standards
regarding Electromagnetic Compatibility, setting
and assessing allowable levels of flicker, harmonic
emission limits, voltage imbalance and power
factor at each point of connection to the network. A
typical harmonic spectrum at point of connection,
without any applied compensation, is shown in
Figure 6. Application of active filters, Static VAr
Compensators or Phase Balancers is needed to
bring the values within the required performance
standards. Installations are expensive and due to
the fact that the load at each connection point
needs to be assessed and designed individually,
installations may take up to 2 years to complete.
3.3 Power Distribution
Once power is brought to the railway substation it
is transformed to the levels at which the
rollingstock operates and distributed to sections of
the electrified lines. Distribution is done at feeder
stations and track sectioning cabins (TSC) for
better control of voltage levels, current in each
IRSE Technical Meeting: Auckland Page 4 of 9
Proposed Traction System For Auckland
feeder and protection i.e. to isolate faulty sections
whilst allowing remaining sections to operate.
Feeder stations and TSCs utilise indoor type
circuit breakers contained within suitably IP rated
enclosures. The preference is to locate enclosures
within a railway reserve for a number of reasons,
one of them being the required separation of
traction and other earthing systems.
The protection scheme for 25kV railways consists
of differential protection across transformers and
incoming cables, distance protection for individual
feeder lines and overcurrent protection as a back
up for transformers and feeders. Modern relays,
also known as Intelligent Electronic Devices
(IEDs), offer an excellent fault locating facility that
enables maintenance crews to be directly
dispatched to fault locations to undertake
corrective works. Recent experience in Perth
shows that faults can be located with +/-100m or
even better accuracy.
A complex interlocking and control system is in
use. It allows for remote switching, monitoring and
prevents setting of incorrect feeding configurations
e.g. paralleling of transformers.
Figure 6, Voltage Harmonic Spectrum, Summers St
Substation, Perth, Australia4
3.4 Overhead Wiring System
The overhead wiring system is an overhead power
line in which the conductors are supported by
structures over the railway track. The contact wire
from which the train’s pantograph collects electric
current is suspended off the messenger (catenary)
wire by droppers. Both are auto-tensioned to
compensate for temperature variation. Other aerial
conductors are Return Current conductors in RC
systems and the Earth Wire.
In the case of ac railways, three basic overhead
traction systems are commonly used. They are
Simple Rail Return Current, Booster Transformer
Return Current and Autotransformer systems.
Selection of the overhead system has a
fundamental impact on the feeding configuration
and components of power supply and distribution
systems. Several factors determine which system
4
Public Transport Authority, Perth, Australia, Power Quality
Report, 2007
7th November 2008
Jan Stelmach
D’ACE Design And Consulting Engineers
shall be used as each has its own advantages and
applications. Considerations are usually in two
categories i.e objective and subjective criteria.
Demand for electrical power, length and number of
lines, availability of suitable power supply points in
the proximity of the railway, layout of network,
levels of Earth Potential Rise within the railway
corridor, levels of induced voltages, clearances,
extent of civil works required and naturally cost
belong to the first category. A decision on
selection of a system would appear to be a simple
exercise: pick a system that meets the minimum
performance standards for the lowest possible
cost within the time given to complete the project.
The performance standards as well as costs can
be calculated, measured or simulated by well
established tools available to the engineering
profession. However, engineers have, very often,
to leave their comfort zone and consider other, the
less objective, criteria. These are political
pressures, compatibility with existing infrastructure,
impact on future works that are well beyond the
planning horizon, familiarity with a particular
system, previous experience and sometimes,
simply the preference of individuals making the
decision. In the end the selection of a system is
the result of all these considerations. If every
criterion could be represented as a vector in
Euclidean space then the result would be a
vectorial sum using engineering terms.
Figure 7, Return Current in AT System
Figure 8, Return Current in BTRC System
Figure 9 Return Current in Simple Rail Return System
The Simple Rail Return system consists of contact
and messenger wires and earth wire. The traction
current is returned to the feeding transformer via
rails. A significant portion of return current
however enters the soil due to the rail to ground
leakage. This system offers the greatest simplicity
in construction, low line impedance and the lowest
construction cost of the line. The disadvantage is a
IRSE Technical Meeting: Auckland
Proposed Traction System For Auckland
higher level of induced voltages on services
parallel to the track.
The Booster Transformer Return Conductor
system collects the return current from the rails by
means of in line installed booster transformers,
thus to certain degree preventing the current
entering the soil. These are current transformers of
1:1 ratio with the primary winding connected in
series with contact line whilst secondary is
connected in series with a dedicated Return
Current (RC) conductor. The RC is connected to
rail at the mid point between BTs. The line current
in BT forces the ‘extraction’ of return current from
rails and its return to feeding transformer via RC
conductor. Typically, the BTs are installed at 3-
3.5km intervals. The disadvantage of this system
is much higher line impedance, in comparison to
simple system due to the presence of BTs and RC
conductors in the return path, adversely affecting
voltage profile that in turn restricts permitted
lengths of feeding sections. Another disadvantage
is the requirement for connecting BTs across
Insulated Overlaps impacting overhead design.
The advantages are relatively good screening and
low overall system encumbrance.
Figure 10, Pantograph - Contact Wire, Perth, Australia
The Auto Transformer (AT) system is
characterised by a 25kV energised return circuit
known as negative or auxiliary feeder or auto
feeder in NZ. Both contact line and negative
feeder are at 25kV in respect to the traction earth
[with 180deg (electrical) shift between them]. The
advantage is much longer feeding sections and
good screening. The disadvantages are the high
cost of double pole switchgear, cost of centre tap
transformers, need for land to place relatively large
autotransformer installations and the high cost of
civil works to accommodate high system
encumbrance. The AT system is predominantly
used on the high speed, intercity lines, outside
urban areas.
The performance of current collection between the
moving pantograph carbon strip and the underside
of the stationary solid contact wire is most critical
Page 5 of 9 7th November 2008
Jan Stelmach
D’ACE Design And Consulting Engineers
to the successful operation of the electrified
railway. The higher the speed the more important
the adherence to design principles and quality of
installation become. Operating speed up to 160km
per hour is considered as low. Several proprietary
systems have been developed and are in service
in the world. Both Perth and Queensland use the
25kV a.c. OHWS that is based on the British
Balfour Beatty Mk3 design, modified to suit local
conditions. The Ausbreck low speed pantographs
put in service in Perth perform satisfactorily.
3.5 Earthing and Bonding
The earthing and bonding of electric railways, the
‘black magic’ of electrical engineering, deserves
special attention as its performance has a direct
impact on the safety of passengers, railway
workers, and the general public. The electrical
system on a.c. railways is in fact similar to an earth
return system. The flow of electrical current causes
Earth Potential Rise within railway corridor and
induces current and voltages in services that are
parallel to the railway track under both normal and
short circuit (fault) conditions. These services are
both railway owned and belonging to third parties.
Obvious examples of railway services are signals,
communications circuits and LV power supplies
whilst third parties’ are pipelines,
telecommunication circuits and power circuits not
associated with railway.
There are two ways of dealing with the EPR issue,
either by bonding or separation. A reduction in
induced voltage is usually achieved by screening,
or where this is not practical, by relocation,
installation of insulated sections, or replacement
with services made out of non-conductive
materials.
The allowable limits are regulated by several
industry relevant standards. The EPR limits,
adopted by Perth and Queensland, within railway
reserve are limited to 60V under normal operating
conditions and 430V (670V with one critical bond
removed) under fault conditions. European
railways follow time duration dependent limits, also
termed as permissible touch voltages, specified in
European standard EN 50122-1. To compare
these two approaches, in accordance with the
above standard, the minimum time required to
open a short circuit at a touch voltage level of
670V is 200ms. Modern relays and vacuum circuit
breakers can break the circuit under 150ms.
Railway organisations put significant effort into
regulating (by sets of rules) the earthing and
bonding of their own and adjoining infrastructure,
undertaking comprehensive simulations of normal
and fault conditions and detailed inspections
before lines are energised. Very often, before
commencement of services, the completed
installations undergo EPR tests under normal and
IRSE Technical Meeting: Auckland Page 6 of 9
Proposed Traction System For Auckland
controlled fault (short circuit) conditions to ensure
that measured touch potential values are below
allowable limits.
3.5 Traction SCADA
The Traction Supervisory Control And Data
Acquisition system assists in fast responses to
disturbances in the network, in undertaking safe
and timely planned isolations and restoration of
power and monitors the performance of the
system.
4. AUCKLAND ELECTRIFIED AREA
The decision by the New Zealand government to
electrify passenger railway network in Auckland
prompted one obvious question: what system
should be used?
ONTRACK had in the past commissioned several
studies and reports in justification of the proposed
electrification. Produced documents discussed a
number of solutions that would satisfy the service
requirements and could be delivered within the
time and budget allocated to the project. However
the only objective method to select an appropriate
traction system, is to test the network performance
by applying comprehensive and proven simulation
software. In June this year, ONTRACK awarded a
contract to Siemens to undertake a power study.
4.1 Power Study
The main aim of the power study was to assist in
the selection of the traction system that would
meet the planned service levels. To do so the
performance of the entire electrified network under
various conditions had to be simulated. The input
required consisted of track data complete with
grades and curves, location of stations, time table
and train consists, dwelling times at stations,
passenger loading, electrical feeding and
sectioning configurations, rollingstock mechanical
and electrical characteristics, transformer
characteristics, power source impedance, length of
feeder cables from feeder stations and track
sectioning cabins, overhead wiring system
configuration as well as type of conductors to
calculate line impedance.
Several criteria are set to assess the performance
of the system, leading to the ultimate one, that is
its ability to meet the required service. These
criteria allow for a detailed assessment of the
network’s performance. The criteria for voltage
limits, based on EN50163:2004 are summarised in
Table 3.
Other criteria include transformer capacity, values
of electric current in feeders, Earth Potential Rise
(EPR) levels and power quality parameters.
It is well understood that an outcome of any
software based simulation is only as valid as the
accuracy of the input data. In the case of
7th November 2008
Jan Stelmach
D’ACE Design And Consulting Engineers
Auckland’s electrification several assumptions had
to be made. Assumptions were necessary for yet
non-determined factors like rollingstock
characteristics including assumed regenerative
braking capability, exact OHWS configuration, time
table and train consists and lengths of feeder
cables. Assumptions were made based on
experience gained on similar projects in the past
attempting to be on the conservative side. This
approach was taken further by undertaking
sensitivity analysis in the form of increasing line
impedance by 10%.
Table 3, Voltage Limits
All three traction systems, as described earlier,
were tested. The simple rail returned system
showed encouraging results. Outcomes of the
simulations showed that voltage levels at the
electrical extremities of the network, capacity of
transformers and currents each feeder will be well
within the limits. The simple rail return system has
been selected, subject to a number of other
assessments still in progress, as the preferred
traction system for the Auckland Electrified Area.
Another goal of the power study was to assess the
safety of passengers and railway workers in
relation to Earth Potential Rise. Part of this
voltage, referred to as a touch potential, is the
electric voltage that may appear on human body,
when bridging, hand to foot, a conductive
component of the system, normally at earth
potential (e.g. train, mast, structure), under fault
conditions. Also, an accessible voltage, the
voltage that can be bridged by a person, under
normal running conditions was simulated. One of
the factors affecting EPR is soil resistivity.
ONTRACK commissioned measurements of soil
resistivity within the track corridor and the results
were used as a data input. The calculated levels
appeared to be, generally, within the limits.
Additional measures, in the form of buried earthing
conductors and deep mast electrodes, to lower the
EPR levels will need to be applied on Onehunga
line.
The third, yet to be undertaken simulations, will be
to test the system in relation to meeting power
quality standards and an assessment of
resonance issues normally associated with
overhead lines. This work can only be commenced
IRSE Technical Meeting: Auckland Page 7 of 9
Proposed Traction System For Auckland
after the train characteristics become known.
However based on previous experience, it can be
reasonably expected that power quality issues that
will require some form of mitigation are the Voltage
imbalance due to single phase loads and high
levels of emission of harmonics generated by
inverters of the train propulsion system.
Figure 11, Example of Simulator Output, Current Along
Line, Siemens 2008
The available technologies, to deal with non-
conformances with power quality standards, are
expensive and need to be designed to specific
situations. The equipment that will be considered,
among others, include active filters, Static VAr
Compensators and Phase Balancers.
It is also planned that simulations of the system’s
performance will need to be repeated if the final
timetable, train consists, passenger loading and
train characteristics differ significantly from what
has been assumed.
4.2 Standards, Codes of Practice and
Guidelines
ONTRACK has in place a suite of standards for
the 25kV electrified railway on their North Island
Main Trunk. The NIMTE line is a single track with
several passing loops and is an AT system.
Electric locomotives are used to haul freight
carriages.
The Auckland electrification required early on, a
process of revisiting, updating and development of
new standards in line with the latest technology,
best practice and experience of similar projects in
the world. To enable the electrification works to
commence and the system to operate, ONTRACK
obtained an exemption from regulation 93 of
Electricity Regulations 1997 and Electrical Code of
Practice 34:2001 in relation to safety of people and
infrastructure. The exemption was given by NZ
Ministry of Economic Development Energy Safety.
ONTRACK undertook to adopt European
standards, the EN suite of documents, related to
electrified railways, modified to suit local
conditions.
4.3 Feeding configuration
7th November 2008
Jan Stelmach
D’ACE Design And Consulting Engineers
The unavailability of 220kV bulk power supplies in
close proximity to the railway network forced
ONTRACK to limit the number of substations to 2
being at Penrose and Southdown. These locations
are only 2km apart which in turn makes the
feeding sections long. To further sectionalise the
network several track sectioning cabins are
planned. Figure 12 shows the proposed feeding
configuration.
Figure 12, Auckland Normal Feeding Configuration
4.4 Challenges
The Auckland electrification, like any railway
project, faces challenges that need solutions. This
section will discuss a few of those issues.
Successful delivery of the project will depend on
proper planning and coordination of other works
that are undertaken concurrently to electrification.
All works at stations, major structures, track
modifications and re-signalling need to be done in
close coordination with electrification. The
interfaces run deep and wide and include, among
many, earthing and bonding, locations of signals in
respect to Neutral Sections and overlaps, track
centers and turnouts in relation to overhead line
tension lengths.
ONTRACK decided to undertake the project in
separate phases. The first is the design phase.
This will have to be completed before the second
phase of construction commences. This strategy
provides sufficient flexibility to define the scope of
work and determine the technical requirements.
IRSE Technical Meeting: Auckland
Proposed Traction System For Auckland
This will work well provided that ONTRACK
secures continuity of the services of the designers
to assist in resolving unavoidable issues raised at
the time of construction. Another challenge
associated with this methodology is the
accountability of designers and contractors. The
solution is a clear and documented scope of work
and ownership of the works.
The railway industry is very busy at present. There
are a number of electrification projects in Australia
alone and the challenge for ONTRACK will be to
engage experienced and committed contractors to
undertake the works. The risks are the possibility
of substandard quality of construction resulting in
time over-runs for corrective works. The increased
labour cost, high equipment and metal prices may
also lead costs to exceed allocated funds.
The railway electrification is also a relatively new
concept for local professionals. Architects and
structural engineers face a need for in-depth
understanding of railway specific requirements.
The solution is a timely exchange of information
and expertise, workshops and a formal process of
interdisciplinary reviews.
Another challenge for ONTRACK is to establish,
as early as possible, a team of technical
professionals at all levels that will undertake a
construction surveillance, gain railway experience,
become familiar with the installation and later form
a core of the maintenance crew.
The construction will impact on present passenger
services as well as on other railway operators
sharing the track. An early understanding and
agreement relating to duration, number and
frequency of necessary track possessions should
be sought. ONTRACK will have to arrange for
alternative means of transport during the
unavailability of present passenger services.
Well before the line is energised, ONTRACK will
have to undertake a public campaign of
electrification awareness. A comprehensive
system of track access permits, procedures for
isolations, roles and responsibilities, response to
faults and disturbances and general maintenance
philosophy will have to be in place and proven
working. An example here is the issue of
responsibility of maintenance of track bonds. The
continuity of track bonds is absolutely essential for
the safety of public and railway workers.
Additionally, training of railway workers from other
than ONTRACK organisations working on or in the
proximity to the electrified network will need to be
addressed. This is a long and demanding process
requiring the establishment of training centres and
the availability of skilled personnel.
There are several stakeholders that are or will be
affected by the electrification. These include
Telecom NZ, pipelines and overhead lines owners,
operators of businesses on leased or adjoining
railway land, bridges and structures owned by
Page 8 of 9 7th November 2008
Jan Stelmach
D’ACE Design And Consulting Engineers
local authorities. The solution is early
consultations, negotiations and signing
agreements with affected parties.
The operations also face an issue of possible
excessive wear of contact wire and pantograph
carbon strip as well as a momentary loss of
contact resulting in current and voltage transients
due to low standard of track maintenance. The
advised track construction and maintenance
tolerances appear to be outside the limits used in
modern railways.
Another challenge is the unknown characteristics
of future rollingstock. The mechanical and
electrical characteristics will impact on the
performance of the traction power system if
differing significantly from what was assumed for
the power study. In addition the required
operability of the NIMTE electric locomotives in
Auckland causes several restrictions in the design
of the overhead wiring system.
The Auckland railway network has a number of
level crossings in close proximity of low clearance
overbridges. The height of contact line would have
to be changed significantly over a short distance.
This in turn will adversely impact on the quality of
current collection as the pantograph may loose
contact at higher speed. Apart from very
expensive bridges, height increases or
unacceptable closing down level crossings, the
IRSE Technical Meeting: Auckland Page 9 of 9
Proposed Traction System For Auckland
only solution is to reduce line speed. The impact
on services will need to be investigated.
5. CONCLUSIONS
The Auckland Electrification project is still a ‘work
in progress’. It presents various challenges some
of which are typical to similar projects of that
nature, others which are unique and specific to the
location. The main issue appears to be a lack of
suitably located 220kV bulk power supplies that
have forced certain level of compromise in an
arrangement of feeding configuration.
The positive outcome is the possibility of adopting
a simple rail return system instead of the originally
anticipated Auto-transformer system. The simple
system can be installed at a significantly lower
cost and will also eliminate a need for aerial to
cable auxiliary feeder circuit transitions at several
locations of low clearances.
The contract procurement strategy by separating
the design and construction activities, provided
that the roles and responsibilities are understood
and processes closely followed, should benefit the
project.
6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author would like to thank Messrs John
Skilton and Allan Neilson of ONTRACK for their
comments offered during the preparation of this
paper.
7th November 2008