List of current systems for electric rail traction
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This a list of the supply voltages used or have been used for tramway and railway electrification systems.
Note the voltages are nominal, and vary depending on load and distance from the substation.
Many modern trams and trains use on board solid state electronics to convert these supplies to run three-phase AC Voltage motors.
Contents |
[edit] Key to the tables below
- Current:
- DC = direct current
- xx Hz = frequency in hertz (alternating current (AC))
- AC supplies are single-phase, except where marked three-phase
- Conductors:
- overhead line or
- conductor rail, usually a third rail to one side of the running rails
- Conductor rail can be:
- top contact: oldest, least safe, affected by ice, snow and leaves
- side contact: newer, safer, less affected by ice, snow and leaves
- bottom contact: newer, safer, least affected by ice, snow and leaves
- Conductor rail can be:
[edit] Systems using standard voltages
Voltages are defined by two standards: BS EN 50163 and IEC 60850
[edit] 500 V DC overhead
| Country | Name of System | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Hong Kong |
Hong Kong Tramways | Hong Kong |
[edit] 550 V DC overhead
| Country | Name of System | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 England |
Blackpool Tramway | Blackpool |
[edit] 600 V DC overhead
This voltage is mostly used by older tram systems worldwide but by a few new ones as well.
[edit] 600 V DC conductor rail
All third rail unless stated otherwise.
Used by most older US subways.
| Type | Country | Name of System | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina |
Buenos Aires Metro (line B) | Buenos Aires | ||
| Urquiza Line | Buenos Aires | |||
| Top Contact (Subway) |
 Canada |
Toronto Subway and Rapid Transit | Toronto | |
 Japan |
Tokyo Metro Ginza Line and Marunouchi Line | Tokyo | ||
| Nagoya Municipal Subway Higashiyama Line and Meijō Line | Nagoya, Aichi | |||
 Italy |
Superga Rack Railway | Turin | ||
 Sweden |
Stockholm Metro | Stockholm | 650 V | |
 Greece |
EIS/ISAP | Athens | Used between 1904 and 1985, now 750V | |
 United Kingdom |
Glasgow Subway | Glasgow | ||
| Side (?) | London | Was used for trams in central London - third rail accessed via a conduit slot between the rails; | ||
| Southern Railway | Some areas up to 1939. | |||
| Top Contact |  United States |
New York City Subway | New York City | |
| Top Contact | Chicago Transit Authority | Chicago | Elevated and subway lines | |
| Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority | Boston | Red and Orange Lines, the subway part of the Blue Line southwest of Airport Station | ||
| PATH | New York City metro area | |||
| Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority | Philadelphia | Market-Frankford subway/elevated and Broad Street subway |
[edit] 750 V DC overhead
This voltage is used for most modern tram systems.
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
[edit] 750 V DC conductor rail
All third rail unless stated otherwise.
[edit] 1500 V DC overhead
[edit] 3 kV DC overhead
| Country | Name of System | Location | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
 Belgium |
Belgium National Railways (SNCB) | 25 kV AC used on new High Speed Lines. | |
 Brazil |
|||
| Canada |
Deux-Montagnes Line | Montreal | Built by CNoR in 1918, converted to 25 kV AC/60 Hz in 1995 by AMT. |
 Chile |
|||
 Czech Republic |
Czech Railways (ČD) | Northern lines only (around Prague, Most, Česká Třebová, Olomouc, Ostrava, along river Labe - Elbe) | |
 India |
Kolkata | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolkata_Metro and their website both say it is still on DC. | |
| Italy |
RFI - Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (Italian Railways Network) | 25 kV AC used on new High Speed Lines. | |
 Morocco |
|||
 North Korea |
Pyongyang trams | Pyongyang, North Korea | |
 Poland |
Polish State Railways (PKP) | ||
 Slovakia |
Slovak Republic Railways (ZSR) | northern main line (connected to Czech Republic and Poland) and eastern lines (around Kosice and Presov), conversion to 25 kV AC planned, and the broad gauge line between Kosice and the Ukraine border (it will remain 3 kV) | |
 Slovenia |
Slovenian Railways (SZ) | 25 kV AC also used | |
 South Africa |
Also 25 kV | ||
 Russian Federation |
Russian Railways (RZD) | New electrification only 25 kV AC | |
 Spain |
Spanish National Railways (RENFE) | 25 kV AC used on new High Speed Lines. | |
 Ukraine |
In east (Donyeck industrial zone), in west (west from L'viv - Lenberg connecting to Slovakia and Poland), also 25 kV AC[1] | ||
| United States |
Morris & Essex Lines | New Jersey, lines towards New York City | By Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in 1930 [2]. Converted to 25 kV 60 Hz by NJT in 1984 |
[edit] 15 kV AC 16⅔ Hz overhead
| Country | Name of System | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Austria |
ÖBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen Austrian Federal Railways) |
National Standard | |
 Germany |
German National Railways | National Standard | |
 Norway |
Jernbaneverket Norwegian State Railways |
||
| Sweden |
Banverket | ||
 Switzerland |
SBB-CFF-FFS - Swiss Federal Railways | ||
[edit] 25 kV AC 50 Hz overhead
| Country | Name of System | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Australia |
Queensland Rail, Citytrain | Brisbane, North Coast Line, Coalfields | Queensland |
| Transperth | Perth | Western Australia | |
| Adelaide Metro | Adelaide | South Australia. To be electrified 2009-2018. | |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina |
|||
 Botswana |
Proposed line to Namibia | ||
| Belgium |
Belgium National Railways (SNCB) | New High Speed Lines and the south of the country only | The rest of the network is 3 kV DC |
 Bulgaria |
Bulgarian State Railways BDZ | ||
 China |
|||
 Congo |
|||
 Croatia |
Croatian Railways (HŽ) | Smaller part 3 kV DC, being replaced with 25 kV AC | |
| Czech Republic |
České dráhy (ČD) | Southern lines only. (Around: Karlovy Vary, Cheb, Plzeň, České Budějovice, Tábor, Jihlava, Brno) | |
 Denmark |
Banedanmark | Copenhagen-Odense-Germany and some more | The vast majority of the Banedanmark network is not electrified. |
 Finland |
Finnish Railways (VR) | ||
 France |
French National Railways (SNCF) | ||
| Germany |
Rübelandbahn | Harz | |
| Greece |
OSE | nationwide | National standard. Network electrification in progress. Currently operational on Thessaloniki-Eidomeni, Thessaloniki-Larissa and Ano Liosia-Athens Airport. |
 Hungary |
Hungarian State Railways (MÁV) | ||
| India |
Indian Railways (IR) | Large parts of Mumbai Division (Western and Central Railways) are 1500 V DC. | |
| Delhi Metro | Delhi | ||
 Iran |
|||
| Italy |
New high-speed lines only. | ||
| Japan |
JR East Tōhoku, Jōetsu, and Nagano Shinkansen | 60 Hz in some areas, see
60 Hz overhead below. |
|
 Macedonia |
Macedonian Railways | ||
 Malaysia |
KTM Komuter Service | ||
 Montenegro |
Railways of Montenegro | Belgrade - Bar railway | Podgorica - Nikšić line currently under electrification |
 Namibia |
Proposed line to Botswana | ||
 Netherlands |
Used on new High Speed Lines and Freight Lines | 1.5 kV DC used on the rest of the network. | |
 New Zealand |
North Island Main Trunk Railway | Central North Island section, 411 km between Palmerston North and Hamilton) | |
 Portugal |
Portuguese Railways (CP) | ||
 Romania |
Romanian Railways (CFR) | ||
 Serbia |
Serbian Railways | ||
| Slovakia |
Slovak Republic Railways (ŽSR) | South-western lines only (around Bratislava, Kuty, Trencin, Trnava, Nove Zamky, Zvolen) and the entire network (except narrow gauge lines) to follow | |
| Spain |
New high-speed lines only. | ||
| South Africa |
Transnet | ||
| Russian Federation |
Russian Railways (RZD) | ||
 Thailand |
Suvarnabhumi Airport Link | Bangkok | |
 Turkey |
|||
| UK |
Network Rail | Except Southern region and Merseyside | |
| Ukraine |
In most of the west; also 3000 V DC in east. | ||
 Zimbabwe |
National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) | Gweru-Harare | De-energised in 2008 |
[edit] 25 kV AC 60 Hz overhead
| Country | Name of System | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada |
Deux-Montagnes Line | Montreal | Built by CNoR in 1918 as 3000 V DC, converted to 25 kV AC/60 Hz in 1995 by AMT. |
| Japan |
Tōkaidō-Sanyō Shinkansen | Western Japan | 50 Hz in eastern Japan, see 25 kV AC 50 Hz overhead above. |
| JR Central, | Central japan | ||
| JR West | Western Japan | ||
| South Korea | Korail | South Korea | All Korail freight/passenger lines except Seoul subway Line 3 (see 1500 V DC overhead above) |
| A'REX | Incheon, Seoul | ||
| United States |
Metro-North Railroad | New York City to New Haven | Amtrak NEC trains also operate on these tracks |
| Morris & Essex Lines and North Jersey Coast Line of New Jersey Transit | New Jersey | Ex 3 kV DC lines, converted in 1984 and an extension of Pennsylvania Railroad 11 kV 25 Hz AC line | |
| Northeast Corridor (NEC), Amtrak | New Haven to Boston in 1996. |
[edit] Conductor rail (Non-standard voltages)
| Voltage | Current | Type | Contact System | Name of System | Location | Country | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | DC | See notes. | Volk's Electric Railway | Brighton | United Kingdom | Volk's Railway prior to 1884. (Current fed through running rails) |
|
| 110 | third rail | Top contact | The world's oldest operational electric railway[3] | ||||
| 160 | Top contact | Volk's Railway between 1884 and 1980s | |||||
| 180 | See notes. | Siemens streetcar | Berlin-Lichterfelde | Germany | Current fed through the running rails. Operated 1881-1891. |
||
| 200 | third rail | Top contact | Southend Pier Railway | Southend | | UK | Until 1902[4] | |
| 440 | Top contact | Post Office Railway | London | Disused since 2003 [5]. 150 V is used in station areas to limit train speed. |
|||
| 550 | Top contact | Buenos Aires Metro (Subterráneos de Buenos Aires) | Buenos Aires | Argentina | Only Line B | ||
| 660 | Top contact | Southern Railway & LSWR | UK | Original standard, mostly upgraded to 750 V | |||
| 660 | third rail with fourth rail bonded to running rail | Euston to Watford DC Line | London | To enable London Underground trains to operate between Queens Park and Harrow & Wealdstone. Similar bonding arrangements are used on the North London Line between Richmond and Gunnersbury and South West Trains Putney Bridge to Wimbledon. | |||
| 700 | DC | third rail | Bottom contact | Metro-North Railroad | New York | USA | Hudson & Harlem lines, southern part of New Haven line |
| 800 | DC | third rail | Bottom contact | Berlin S-Bahn | Berlin | Germany | |
| 825 | Moscow Metro | Moscow | Russia | ||||
| Pyongyang Metro | Pyongyang | North Korea | |||||
| 850 | Bottom contact | Yellow Train | Villefranche | France | |||
| Bottom contact | Ligne de Saint Gervais - Vallorcine | Martigny | The infobox mentions lateral (side) contact | ||||
| Vienna | Austria | ||||||
| former Southern Railway | United Kingdom | Original route of Eurostar, pre-High Speed 1, upgraded from 750 V | |||||
| 1000 | DC | Bay Area Rapid Transit | San Francisco | USA | |||
| 1200 | DC | third rail | Side contact | Manchester-Bury | Manchester | UK | System abandoned in 1991 |
| Side contact | Hamburg S-Bahn | Hamburg | Germany | Since 1940. Used both third rail DC (1200 V) and overhead line AC (6300 V 25 Hz) until 1955. | |||
| 1500 | DC | third rail | ? | Mont-Cenis-Railway | Chambery - Modane | France | used between 1925 and 1976, today overhead wire |
| 1500 | DC | third rail | Bottom Contact | Guangzhou Metro (Line 4) | Guangzhou | China | |
[edit] Overhead (Non-standard voltages)
| Voltage | Current | Name of System | Location | Country | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 250 | DC | Chicago Tunnel Company | Chicago | USA | Operated 1906-1959 |
| 500 | Many tram systems | ||||
| 525 | Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Mürren | Lauterbrunnen | Switzerland | ||
| 550 | Snaefell Mountain Railway | Isle of Man | UK | ||
| 900 | Gruyere - Fribourg - Morat | Fribourg | Switzerland | ||
| Montreux-Oberland Bernois | Montreux | ||||
| 1000 | Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn (SZU) | Zürich | Uetliberg branch only - uses an offset overhead line and pantograph to allow running on track shared with the AC-electrified Sihltal branch. | ||
| Rhätische Bahn (RhB) | St Moritz - Tirano | ||||
| Budapest HÉV) | Budapest | Hungary | |||
| 1100 | Buenos Aires Metro (Subterráneos de Buenos Aires) | Buenos Aires | Argentina | Only Line A (will be converted to 1500 V DC by 2008/09) | |
| 1200 | Barcelona Metro | Barcelona | Spain | Uses an overhead conductor rail/beam system. | |
| Sóller Railway | Palma - Sóller, Majorca | [6] | |||
| Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Cuba | Havana - Santiago | Cuba | |||
| Lusatian | Germany | 900 mm (2 ft 111⁄2 in) gauge mining railways in the brown coal district | |||
| Estonia | (Elektriraudtee) 1924-1941 and 1946-1958 | ||||
| 1350 | FART | Domodossola-Locarno | Italy - Switzerland | ||
| 2400 | Lausitzer | Germany | Work line of the Lausitzer Brown Coal AG company. | ||
| Chemin de fer de La Mure | Grenoble | France | -1200 V, +1200 V two wire system from 1903-1950. 2400 V since 1950 [7] . | ||
| 3500 | Bury - Holcombe Brook | Manchester | UK | Operated 1913-1918. | |
| 5500 | 16⅔ Hz | Ammergau Railway (German: Ammergaubahn) | Murnau | Germany | 1905-1955, after 1955 15 kV, 16.7 Hz |
| 6000 | DC | Russia | Experiments in the late 1970s (3000 V lines) | ||
| 6000 | 50 Hz | Germany | Factory railway of Rheinbraun AG | ||
| 6250 | Great Eastern suburban lines | London | United Kingdom | Great Eastern suburban lines from Liverpool Street London, 1950s-c1980 (converted to 25 kV) | |
| 6300 | 25 Hz | Hamburg S-Bahn | Hamburg | Germany | Operated with AC 1907-1955. Used both AC and DC (1200 V 3rd rail) 1940-1955. |
| 6500 | Mariazellerbahn | Sankt Pölten | Austria | ||
| 6600 | Thamshavnbanen | Orkdal | Norway | ||
| 8000 | Alb Valley Railway (German: Albtalbahn) | Karlsruhe | Germany | 1911-1966, today using 750 V DC | |
| 10 kV | Hofpleinlijn | The Hague - Rotterdam | Netherlands | From 1908, in 1926 converted to 1500 DC. In 2006 replaced by 750 V DC light rail | |
| 11 kV | 16⅔ Hz | Rhaetian Railway (RhB) | Switzerland | ||
| Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn (MGB) | Formerly Furka-Oberalp-Bahn (FOB) and BVZ Zermatt-Bahn | ||||
| 25 Hz | Northeast Corridor (NEC), Amtrak | Washington, DC - New York City | United States | ||
| Keystone Corridor, Amtrak | Harrisburg, PA to Philadelphia, PA | ||||
| SEPTA | Philadelphia | Commuter Lines | |||
| New Jersey Transit | New Jersey | Not all lines are electrified and two are 25 kV 60 Hz | |||
| 50 Hz | Mont Blanc Tramway | France | |||
| 20 kV | Höllentalbahn | Feibourg | Germany | Operated 1933-1960. | |
| Most electrified JR/the third sector lines in Hokkaidō and Tōhoku | JR East, JR Hokkaidō, and others. | Japan | |||
| 60 Hz | Most electrified JR/the third sector lines in Kyūshū | JR Kyūshū and others | |||
| 50 kV | 50 Hz | Spoornet | Sishen - Saldanha | South Africa | Iron ore line |
| 60 Hz | Black Mesa and Lake Powell | Arizona | USA | Coal line | |
| Tumbler Ridge Subdivision, BC Rail [8] | British Columbia | Canada | Coal and Timber in remote BC, from opening in 1983 until de-electrified 2000 using GMD GF6C. |
[edit] Overhead (three-phase)
| Voltage | Current | Contact System | Name of System | Location | Country | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three wire | Tagebau Gruhlwerk | Rack railway (0.7 km). Operated 1927-1949 |
||||
| 725 | 50 Hz, Δ | Two wire | Gornergratbahn | Zermatt | Switzerland | Website |
| 750 | 40 Hz, 3Ø | Two wire | Burgdorf-Thun Bahn | Burgdorf - Thun | Operated 1899-1933. Converted to 15 kV, 16⅔ Hz in 1933. |
|
| 800 | 60 Hz, 3Ø | Corcovado Rack Railway | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | ||
| 1125 | 50 Hz, 3Ø | Two wire | Jungfraubahn | Interlaken | Switzerland | Website |
| 3000 | 15 Hz, 3Ø | Valtellina Electrification | North Italy | 1902-1917 | ||
| 50 Hz, 3Ø | Chemin de Fer de la Rhune | France | ||||
| 3600 | 16⅔ Hz, 3Ø | Two wire | Italy | Operated 1912-1976 in Upper Italy (more info needed) | ||
| FS | Bologna - Porretta - Firenze | 1927-1935 | ||||
| 5200 | 25 Hz, 3Ø | Almeria - Gergal | Spain | 1911-1966? | ||
| 10 kV | 45 Hz, 3Ø | Two wire | FS | Roma - Sulmona | Italy | 1929 - 1944 |
| 50 Hz, 3Ø | Three wire | Berlin - Lichtenhain | Germany | Test track (1.8 km). Variable voltage and frequency. Trial runs 1898-1901 |
||
| 14 kV (See notes) |
38 Hz - 48 Hz (See notes) |
Three wire | Zossen - Marienfelde | Test Track (23.4 km). Trial runs 1901-1904 Variable voltage between 10 kV and 14 kV and frequency between 38 Hz and 48 Hz. |
[edit] Special or unusual types
[edit] DC, plough collection from conductors in conduit below track
- London County Council Tramways, later operated by London Transport
- Washington, D.C. streetcars
[edit] DC, one ground-level conductor
- Wolverhampton Corporation Tramways, England. (stud contact) (1902-1921)
[edit] DC, two ground-level conductors
- Bordeaux Tramway, France. (conductor rail)
[edit] DC, two-wire
- Greenwich, England. Previously used by trams when in the vicinity of Greenwich Observatory; separate from trolley-bus supply.
- Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Tram (streetcar) system used this arrangement throughout, probably due to legal constraints on ground return currents.
[edit] DC, power from running rails
- Gross-Lichterfelde Tramway (1881-1893)
- Ungerer Tramway (1886-1895)
- transportable railways as ride for children
[edit] DC, four-rail
| Voltage | Current | Type | Contact System | Name of System | Location | Country | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 750 | DC | guide bars | Lateral (positive) and top of running rails (negative) contact | Paris Metro | Paris | France | Rubber-tyred lines only |
| Lateral (positive) and top of running rails (negative) contact | Montreal Metro | Montreal | Canada | Rubber-tyred lines | |||
| third and fourth rail | Lateral (positive) and top (negative) contact | Milan Transportation System | Milan | Italy | Metro (only line 1) | ||
| 630 | Top Contact | London Underground | London | UK | Transport for London [9] Clive's Underground Line Guides [10] |
[edit] See also
|
|||||
[edit] References
- ^ Railway Gazette International April 2008, p 240
- ^ Electrified D. L. & W. Time magazine archives Retrieved 2007-08-12
- ^ "The world's oldest operational electric railway". http://volkselectricrailway.co.uk.
- ^ "Southend Pier Railway". http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail/spr.html.
- ^ Disused since 2003
- ^ Sóller Website
- ^ Chemin de fer de La Mure
- ^ West Coast Railway Association, BC - Access 09-11-2008
- ^ [1]
- ^ Clive's Underground Line Guides
[edit] External links
- http://www.bahnstrom.de/bahnstromsysteme/weltweit_kopf.htm
- Map of European voltage-systems
- Southern Electric, England - details of electrification
