Electrification of rail

[ozbob]

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Electrification renaissance

Electrification renaissance
by Rail Express — last modified Jan 26, 2011 12:58 PM

The gradual electrification of the world's rail systems is taking hold – although yet to be considered seriously outside metropolitan cities in Australia – and research into technologies to support this is undergoing a renaissance, writes Francis Dwornik*.
   
Technologies include harnessing the kinetic energy of a train's movement to support onboard services, which is already occurring in America and Europe and all-electric battery-powered locomotive technology, with a trail occurring on a yard locomotive of premier American freight body Norfolk Southern last year.

Indian Railways has been using solar power for the local electrification of its railway system assets since early 2009, with some 128 crossings and a number of stations outfitted with solar panels for electrification purposes.

Indian Railways is also looking at ways of reducing exhaust charges from diesel engines.

While much of this is interesting in the long term, the biggest immediate test for rail in Australia will be the decision regarding the conversion of long-distance rail from diesel to electric power.

Not only will this have implications for CO2 emissions but it will also affect the calculation of embedded energy involved in the construction of such a massive undertaking, and the sourcing of the electricity itself will also need careful consideration.

Electrification, sourced from various existing and emerging energy sources, will be the "green" test for rail in the future.

The vast majority of high-speed rail lines are electrified and many European mainline systems have been electrified.

Local lobby group Beyond Zero Emissions is calling for a "massive roll-out" of electrified rail across Australia to support its national policy of carbon reduction in transport and proposes using power generated by biofuel plants.

Interestingly, it appears the UK has returned to large-scale electrification of rail after a 2007 White Paper entitled Delivering a Sustainable Railway recommended maintaining diesel trains fuelled by biodiesel.

New thinking has realised that wide-scale electrification poses many benefits to UK railways, including lower costs associated with the maintenance of rail lines due to lighter trains.

Electric trains don't require heavy diesel engines or fuel loads as energy is supplied through overhead cables – and these trains emit 20%-30% less carbon monoxide.

Electric trains are also faster, cutting travel times on the proposed first UK electrified line – the 250 km London to Swansea line – by 19 minutes compared to the previous network.

The commitment to ongoing research and development around carbon emissions for rail is of enormous benefit to the industry, one whose gains are based primarily on electrification.

In Australia, South Australia has decided to electrify the rail on the main corridors to Noarlunga, Outer Harbour and Gawler to boost patronage while providing significant environmental benefits.

The sooner we make the decision to electrify more rail in Australia, the sooner we can catch up with the world and the new technologies being developed.

*Francis Dwornik is Rail Engineering Director of O'Donnell Griffin - Rail.

[ozbob]

The Gippsland line in Victoria used to be electrified.  Remember the Ls hauling briquettes!

The NCL is electrified to Rocky, seems an expensive system to maintain for a couple of electric tilts ... some coal lines electrified.

Blue Mountains is electrified from memory (? Lithgow).

[frereOP]

The Gippsland line in Victoria used to be electrified.  Remember the Ls hauling briquettes!

The NCL is electrified to Rocky, seems an expensive system to maintain for a couple of electric tilts ... some coal lines electrified.

Blue Mountains is electrified from memory (? Lithgow).

Sydney suburb and and interurban (Sydney to Wollongong, Sydney to Newcastle, the Newcastle suburban network, and Blue Mountains to Lithgow are electrified (1.5kV DC).

I was poopooed in this forum several months ago for suggesting electrification of the Sydney-Melbourne corridor should be a priority.  Seems I now have some some pretty influential bedfellows backed up by some salient facts.

[ozbob]

Not by me.  I think electric rail - light and heaving using renewable electricity generation is the transport future. 

[somebody]

Slight correction.  On the NSW Sth Coast Electrification extends to Kiama, and I'm pretty sure it includes the Pt Kembla spur.  Kiama-Bombaderry is still diesel shuttles.  Too hard to drop the floor of the tunnels to put in the wires, apparently.

Yes, it extends to Newcastle and currently Lithgow (I think one station beyond).  There is often talk of truncating at Mt Victoria and bustituting beyond there.  It is already bus Lithgow-Bathurst.  Bus is actually faster on this part, although probably less comfortable.

It currently terminates at Macarthur in the SW of Sydney, which is a much more inner area than any other end of electrification in QLD or NSW.  Perhaps VIC.

[colinw]

It is a real shame seeing the NCL electrification south of Gladstone so badly underutilised, and worse still the electrification from Burngrove to Emerald on the Central line is mothballed and has not seen use for years.  Burngrove is the last coal junction, and the only electric haulage west of there was general freight and the Midlander / Spirit of the Outback.  The coal traffic from Minerva on the Springsure branch is of course diesel hauled, as the wires extend only a few hundred metres down the Springsure branch.

The NCL electrification to Rocky was used for general freight & passenger services, hauled by the  30 members of the 3900 class.  The 3900s also worked west to Emerald.  When the Spirit of the Outback was first introduced, it was electric hauled from Brisbane to Emerald making it the longest electric hauled journey in Australia - a title now held by the Rockhampton Tilt.  Most of the 3900s have been converted to 3551(? is that right) class for coal haulage, but I believe 11 of the 3900s remain in unconverted form.  One stumbling block preventing their return to the NCL is that they were never fitted with ATP, and are thus unavailable for driver only operation.  The predecessor to ATP - the Ericsson developed ATC system - has now been decommissioned, so any return of electric haulage on the NCL would either require ATP to be fitted to the remaining 3900s, or a new class of electric locos.

In 1997 I travelled to Cairns & return by rail - Queenslander one way, Sunlander back.  The difference in performance of the loco hauled train with 3900 class south of Rockhampton and the 2800 class north of Rocky was stark.  With electric haulage the 'lander accelerated out of speed restrictions far better than with the diesel.

Regarding the tunnels south of Kiama, is there any particular reason why these would be any harder to modify for electric operation than the NCL tunnels around Mooloolah were?  Or is it more a case of passenger volume south of Kiama to Bomaderry not justifying electrification (in which case the non-electrified section will probably fade away and close over the next 10-15 years).

[ButFli]

Yes, it extends to Newcastle and currently Lithgow (I think one station beyond). 

The wires go a couple of kilometers past Lithgow Station to a Bowenfels Station that was closed in 1974. It's still in Lithgow so I think saying electrification goes as far as Lithgow is fairly correct.

[somebody]

Regarding the tunnels south of Kiama, is there any particular reason why these would be any harder to modify for electric operation than the NCL tunnels around Mooloolah were?  Or is it more a case of passenger volume south of Kiama to Bomaderry not justifying electrification (in which case the non-electrified section will probably fade away and close over the next 10-15 years).

Other than it is being done in NSW?  I don't think so, but you aren't talking about a very high pax usage which would benefit either.

[colinw]

How many tunnels are there just south of Kiama?  4 or 5?  Sounds like it may simply be too expensive for the cash strapped NSW Government, particularly for a line with relatively low patronage.

I don't believe there's any technical issue, otherwise Dapto to Kiama couldn't have been done due to the long tunnel coming in to Kiama from the north.

[somebody]

4 according to wiki.  While there isn't a huge benefit, I'd think removing diesels from this corner is a nice to have operationally.  It would be something of a pain for fueling and maintenance.