| Railway Electrification In Great Britain |
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Railway electrification in Great Britain describes the various Electrification Systems that are used, or have been used, for supplying traction current to the Railways And Tramways Of Great Britain . The article includes a chronological record of development, and a list of the lines using each system, while for each system a history and a technical description is provided. HISTORY Railway electrification as a means of traction emerged at the end of the nineteenth century. It offered several benefits over the then predominant Steam traction, particularly in respect of its quick acceleration (ideal for urban (metro) and suburban (commuter) services) and power (ideal for heavy freight trains through mountainous/hilly sections). A plethora of systems emerged in the first twenty years of the twentieth century (as listed below). In 1928 a government committee agreed 1500V DC overhead as the national standard, although little work was done to implement this and the plethora of different systems continued to exist (and even expand). After World War II , with nationalisation (1948), British Railways expanded electrification (the 1500V DC overhead and Southern Region Third Rail systems) but soon (mid 1950s) adopted 25 kV AC overhead for its proposed mainline electrification. Despite the following years of minimal capital investment, the 25 kV AC network has continued to expand, slowly, although large areas of the country are still non-electrified, despite their urban, suburban, hilly or intercity nature. FACTS AND FIGURES As Of 2006 , 40% (3,062 miles / 4,928 km) of the British Rail Network is Electrified and 60% of all rail journeys are by electric traction (both by Locomotives and Multiple Unit s) Network Rail , 2003 Technical Plan, Chapter 11 "Network Capability", page 7 "Electrification". "Approximately 40% of the rail network is currently equipped with electrification. From page 1, total network is 30,764 km, 7,587 km of 25 kV AC, 4,285 km of 650/750 V DC and 28 km of 1,500 V DV. Excludes CTRL, LUL, Old Danby test track, bulk of Tyne and Wear Metro, etc. NB it doesn't state what method of counting length of network is used - ie sidings, loops, double track, etc produce different numbers. The UIC statistics which are used in the chart showing electrification in Europe is based solely on line length. Thus on this count 11,900km is electrified, which works out 38.68158%. Thus of electrified network, 25 kV AC is 65.756%, 36.0084% is 650/750 V DC and 0.235294% is 1,500 V DC. According to Network Rail , 66% of the electrified network uses the 25 kV a.c. overhead system and 36% uses the 660/750 V d.c. third rail system . SYSTEMS NO LONGER USED Great Britain has used a number of different electrification systems in the past. Many of these date from the early part of the 20th century when electricity was being experimented with for traction purposes. This section describes each system, in order of increasing voltage. 500V DC, Overhead Line 525V DC, Third Rail
: The Liverpool Overhead Railway was one of the earliest electric railways in Great Britain. The first section between Alexandra Dock and Herculaneum Dock was opened in 1893. The line connected with Lancashire And Yorkshire Railway 's North Mersey Branch . It was never nationalised and it closed on the 30th December 1956 due to extensive corrosion throughout its iron infrastructure (which was deemed uneconomical to replace). 600V DC, Third Rail |
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