List of railway electrification systems
This is a list of the power supply systems that are, or have been, used for tramway and railway electrification systems.
Note that 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 induction motors.
Key to the tables below
- Volts: voltage or volt
- 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:
Systems using standard voltages
Voltages are defined by two standards: BS EN 50163[1] and IEC 60850.[2]
Overhead systems
600 V DC
This voltage is mostly used by older tram systems worldwide but by a few new ones as well.
750 V DC
This voltage is used for most modern tram systems.
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1,200 V DC
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1,500 V DC
3 kV DC
Country | Name of system | Location | Note |
---|---|---|---|
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Belgium National Railways (SNCB) | National standard. 25 kV AC used on high speed lines and some lines in the south area. | |
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SuperVia Trens Urbanos; | Rio de Janeiro suburban network; | |
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Deux-Montagnes Line | Montreal | built by CNoR in 1918, converted to 25 kV AC/60 Hz in 1995 by AMT |
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Czech Railway Infrastructure Administration (SŽDC) | Northern part of network only (approx. the Děčín - Praha - Ostrava route). The system change stations are Kadaň-Prunéřov, Beroun, Benešov u Prahy, Kutná Hora hl.n., Svitavy, Nezamyslice, Nedakonice. The southern part uses 25 kV 50 Hz. | |
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Tallinn commuter rail only. | ||
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Georgian Railway LLC | In fact 3,300 V | |
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RFI - Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (Italian Railways Network) | 25 kV AC used on new high speed lines | |
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Latvian Railways (LDz) | to be converted to 25 kV AC | |
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Chemins de fer luxembourgeois (CFL) | The line between Luxembourg and Arlon | 25 kV AC on the rest of the network |
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ONCF (Office National des Chemins de Fer) | national standard | |
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national standard | ||
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Polish State Railways (PKP) | planned new high speed lines will use 25 kV AC | |
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Russian Railways (RZD) | new electrification use only 25 kV AC | |
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Slovak Republic Railways (ŽSR) | Northern main line (connected to Czech Republic and Poland) and eastern lines (around Košice and Prešov), conversion to 25 kV AC planned, and the broad gauge line between Košice and the Ukraine border (it will remain 3 kV until new broad gauge line construction, then convert to 25 kV AC), planned new broad gauge line is supposed to use 25 kV AC. Currently, the part north and east of the station Púchov uses 3 kV DC, the rest uses 25 kV 50 Hz. | |
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Slovenian Railways (SŽ) | national standard | |
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Transnet Freight Rail (TFR); MetroRail | National standard. Also 25 kV AC and 50 kV AC used. | |
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Spanish National Railways (RENFE) | 25 kV AC used on new high speed lines | |
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Ukrainian Railways | in east (Donetsk industrial zone), in west (west from L'viv – connecting to Slovakia and Poland), to be converted to 25 kV AC[17] | |
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Morris & Essex Lines | New Jersey, lines towards New York City | By Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in 1930.[18] Converted to 25 kV 60 Hz by NJT in 1984 |
15 kV AC, 16+2⁄3 Hz (16.7 Hz)
Country | Name of system | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
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Austrian Federal Railways | national standard | |
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German National Railways | national standard | |
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Norwegian National Rail Administration | national standard | |
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Swedish Transport Administration | national standard | |
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Chemin de fer Bière-Apples-Morges (BAM) | Vaud | |
BLS | Canton Bern | ||
Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn | Canton Zürich | Sihltal line only; shares track with the 1200 V DC electrified Uetliberg line that uses an offset overhead line and pantograph to allow such sharing | |
Swiss Federal Railways | Throughout the country | ||
Zentralbahn | Central Switzerland and Bernese Oberland |
25 kV AC, 50 Hz
25 kV AC, 60 Hz
While 25 kV 60 Hz is not standardized by BS EN 50163 and IEC 60850, it is the logical equivalent of 25 kV 50 Hz in countries where 60 Hz is the normal grid power frequency.
Country | Name of system | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
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Deux-Montagnes Line | Montreal | built by CNoR in 1918 as 3000 V DC, converted to 25 kV AC/60 Hz in 1995 by AMT |
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Tōkaidō-Sanyō Shinkansen Hokuriku Shinkansen Kyushu Shinkansen |
Western Japan, Central Japan, Eastern Japan, JR Kyushu | 50 Hz in eastern Japan, see 25 kV AC 50 Hz overhead above. |
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Ferrocarril Suburbano de la Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México | Mexico City | [22] |
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Korail | South Korea | all Korail freight/passenger lines except Seoul subway Line 3 (see 1500 V DC overhead above) |
A'REX | Incheon, Seoul | ||
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Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) | All electrified lines | |
Taiwan High Speed Railway (THSR) | Western Taiwan Corridor | ||
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Morris & Essex Lines, New Jersey Transit | New Jersey | Former 3,000 V DC system |
North Jersey Coast Line, New Jersey Transit | Aberdeen-Matawan to Long Branch, New Jersey | Converted in 1978 from Pennsylvania Railroad 11 kV 25 Hz system to the 12.5 kV 25 Hz on the Rahway-Matawan ROW and 12.5 kV 60 Hz electrification extended to Long Branch in 1988. The Matawan-Long Branch voltage converted from 12.5 kV 60 Hz system to the 25 kV 60 Hz in 2002. | |
Northeast Corridor (NEC), Amtrak | New Haven to Boston | Electrified in 2000. See Amtrak's 60 Hz Traction Power System | |
FasTracks, Denver RTD | Denver | Scheduled to begin operations in 2016[23] | |
Texas Utilities, Monticello & Martin Lake | Texas | See E25B and Internet Reference[24] |
Conductor rail systems
600 V DC conductor
All third rail unless stated otherwise.
Used by most older US subways.
Using this type of electrification |
No longer using this type of electrification |
750 V DC conductor
All third rail unless stated otherwise.
Using this type of electrification |
No longer using this type of electrification |
Systems using non-standard voltages
Overhead systems (DC Voltage)
Overhead systems (AC Voltage)
Voltage | Frequency | Name of system | Location | Country | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
5,500 | 16+2⁄3 Hz | Ammergau Railway (German: Ammergaubahn) | Murnau | ![]() |
1905–1955, after 1955 15 kV, 16.7 Hz |
6,000 | 50 Hz | ![]() |
factory railway of Rheinbraun AG | ||
6,250 | Great Eastern suburban lines | London | ![]() |
Great Eastern suburban lines from Liverpool Street London, 1950s–c1980 (converted to 25 kV) | |
Glasgow suburban lines | Glasgow | ![]() |
Sections of the North Clyde Line and Cathcart Circle Line from 1960-1970s | ||
6,300 | 25 Hz | Hamburg S-Bahn | Hamburg | ![]() |
Operated with AC 1907–1955. Used both AC and DC (1,200 V 3rd rail) 1940–1955. |
6,500 | Mariazellerbahn | Sankt Pölten | ![]() |
||
6,600 | Thamshavnbanen | Orkdal | ![]() |
||
6,600 | 50 Hz | Hambachbahn and Nord-Süd-Bahn | Cologne Lowland | ![]() |
transports lignite from open-pit mines to powerplants |
8 kV | 25 Hz | Alb Valley Railway (German: Albtalbahn) | Karlsruhe | ![]() |
1911–1966, today using 750 V DC |
10 kV | Hofpleinlijn | The Hague - Rotterdam | ![]() |
from 1908, in 1926 converted to 1,500 DC, In 2006 replaced by 750 V DC light rail | |
10 kV | 50 Hz | Russian Railways | industrial railways at quarries | ![]() |
operated from 1950-s at coal and ore quarries |
Ukrainian Railways | ![]() | ||||
some private industrial railways in Kazakhstan | ![]() | ||||
11 kV | 16+2⁄3 Hz | Rhätische Bahn (RhB) | Graubünden | ![]() |
Except the Bernina line, which is electrified at 1,000 V DC |
Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn (MGB) | formerly Furka-Oberalp-Bahn (FOB) and BVZ Zermatt-Bahn | ||||
25 Hz | Pennsylvania Railroad Etc., |
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All lines now 12.5 kV 25 Hz or 12.5 kV 60 Hz See Railroad electrification in the United States | ||
50 Hz | Mont Blanc Tramway | ![]() |
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12 kV | 16+2⁄3 Hz | Chemin de fer du Midi | lines in Pyrenees | ![]() |
most converted to 1,500 V 1922–23; Villefranche-Perpignan diesel 1971, then 1,500 V 1984 |
12.5 kV | 25 Hz | Northeast Corridor (NEC), Amtrak | Washington, DC - New York City | ![]() |
11 kV until 1978 |
Keystone Corridor, Amtrak | Harrisburg, PA to Philadelphia, PA | 11 kV until 1978 | |||
SEPTA | Philadelphia | Regional Rail system only; 11 kV until 1978 | |||
North Jersey Coast Line, New Jersey Transit | Rahway to Aberdeen-Matawan, New Jersey | 11 kV until 1978 | |||
60 Hz | North Jersey Coast Line, New Jersey Transit | Aberdeen-Matawan to Long Branch, New Jersey | 1988-2002, today using 25 kV 60 Hz | ||
New Haven Line, Metro-North Railroad | Pelham, NY-New Haven, CT | ||||
20 kV | 50 Hz | Höllentalbahn | Freiburg | ![]() |
Operated 1933–1960. Converted to 15 kV 16+2⁄3 Hz. |
Société Nationale des Chemins de fer (SNCF) | Aix-les-Bains – La Roche-sur-Foron | ![]() |
Operated 1950–1953. Converted to 25 kV 50 Hz. | ||
most electrified JR/the third sector lines in Hokkaidō and Tōhoku | JR East, JR Hokkaidō, and others | ![]() |
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60 Hz | most electrified JR/the third sector lines in Kyūshū and Hokuriku region | JR Kyūshū and others | |||
50 kV | 50 Hz | Sishen–Saldanha railway line | Northern Cape, Western Cape | ![]() |
opened in 1976 and hauls iron ore |
60 Hz | Tumbler Ridge Subdivision of BC Rail (Now Canadian National Railway) | British Columbia | ![]() |
Opened in 1983 to serve a coal mine in the northern Rocky Mountains. No longer in use. | |
Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad | Arizona | ![]() |
First line to use 50 kV electrification when it opened in 1973. This is an isolated coal-hauling short line. | ||
Deseret Power Railroad (formerly Deseret Western Railway) | Utah | ||||
Navajo Mine Railroad | New Mexico |
Conductor rail systems (All DC Voltage)
Conductor rail systems have been separated into tables based on whether they are top, side or bottom contact.
Top Contact Systems
Voltage | Type | Name of system | Location | Country | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
50 | See notes | Volk's Electric Railway | Brighton | ![]() |
Volk's Railway prior to 1884 (current fed through running rails) |
110 | third rail | the world's oldest operational electric railway[citation needed] | |||
160 | Volk's Railway between 1884 and 1980s | ||||
100 | fourth rail | Monorail at National Motor Museum | Beaulieu | ![]() |
current fed by 2 contact wires |
180 | See notes | Siemens streetcar | Berlin-Lichterfelde | ![]() |
Current fed through the running rails Operated 1881–1891 |
200 | third rail | Southend Pier Railway | Southend | ![]() |
Until 1902[26] |
250 | Hythe Pier Railway | Hythe, Hampshire | |||
Chicago Tunnel Company | Chicago, Illinois | ![]() |
Morgan Rack 1904, revenue service 1906–1908. | ||
400 | Berchtesgaden Salt Mine Railway | Berchtesgaden | ![]() |
||
440 | Post Office Railway | London | ![]() |
disused since 2003[27] 150 V is used in station areas to limit train speed | |
550 | Buenos Aires Metro (Subterráneos de Buenos Aires) | Buenos Aires | ![]() |
only Line B | |
630 | Island Line | Isle of Wight | ![]() |
||
630 | 4th rail | London Underground (LUL) | London | Supplied at +420 V and -210 V (630 V total); It is proposed to increase the voltage to 750 V (+500 V and -250 V)[28] | |
650 | See notes | Euston to Watford DC Line | London | Third rail with fourth rail bonded to running rail 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. | |
660 | third rail | Southern Railway & LSWR | original standard, mostly upgraded to 750 V (except for sections that operate with LUL stock). | ||
800 | third rail | Berlin S-Bahn | Berlin | ![]() |
|
Mitre Line | Buenos Aires | ![]() |
Retiro - José León Suárez Retiro - Bartolomé Mitre Retiro - Tigre | ||
Sarmiento Line | Once - Moreno | ||||
825 | Moscow Metro | Moscow | ![]() |
||
Pyongyang Metro | Pyongyang | ![]() |
uses old 750 V Berlin U-Bahn rolling stock | ||
1500 | Culoz–Modane railway | Chambéry - Modane | ![]() |
Used between 1925 and 1976, today overhead wire |
Side Contact Systems
Voltage | Type | Name of system | Location | Country | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
850 | Third Rail | Ligne de Saint Gervais - Vallorcine | Martigny | ![]() |
|
1200 | Third Rail | Manchester-Bury | Manchester | ![]() |
Dismantled 1991, converted to Manchester Metrolink tramway (750 V DC overhead) |
1200 | Third Rail | Hamburg S-Bahn | Hamburg | ![]() |
Since 1940. Used both third rail DC (1200 V) and overhead line AC (6300 V 25 Hz) until 1955. Also uses German standard 15 kV, 16 2/3 Hz overhead electrification on the section between Neugraben and Stade on line S3, opened in December 2007. |
Bottom Contact Systems
Voltage | Type | Name of system | Location | Country | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
650 | third rail | SkyTrain | Vancouver | ![]() |
Expo Line(1985) and Millennium Line(2006) |
700 | third rail | Metro-North Railroad | New York | ![]() |
Hudson and Harlem Lines, southern part of New Haven Line. Original New York Central Railroad electrification scheme to Grand Central Terminal. |
Market-Frankford Line | Philadelphia | Originally 600 V, raised to 700 V. | |||
825 | third rail | Sofia Metro | Sofia | ![]() |
|
850 | third rail | Yellow Train | Villefranche | ![]() |
|
Wiener Lokalbahn | Vienna | ![]() |
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900 | third rail | Brussels Metro | Brussels | ![]() |
|
1000 | third rail | Bay Area Rapid Transit | San Francisco | ![]() |
[29] |
1500 | third rail | Guangzhou Metro Line 4, Line 5 and Line 6 | Guangzhou | ![]() |
Overhead wires in depots, all trains are equipped with pantographs. |
third rail | Shenzhen Metro Line 3 | Shenzhen | |||
third rail | Shanghai Metro Line 16 | Shanghai | Overhead wires in depot, all trains are equipped with pantographs. | ||
third rail | Beijing Subway Line 7 | Beijing |
Three-phase systems
Two wires
Voltage | Current | Name of system | Location | Country | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
725 | 50 Hz, 3Ø | Gornergratbahn | Zermatt – Gornergrat, Valais | ![]() |
|
750 | 40 Hz, 3Ø | Burgdorf-Thun Bahn | Burgdorf – Thun | Operated 1899–1933 converted to 15 kV 16+2⁄3 Hz in 1933 | |
800 | 60 Hz, 3Ø | Corcovado Rack Railway | Rio de Janeiro | ![]() |
|
1125 | 50 Hz, 3Ø | Jungfraubahn | Interlaken | ![]() |
|
3000 | 15 Hz, 3Ø | Valtellina Electrification | ![]() |
1902–1917 | |
50 Hz, 3Ø | Chemin de Fer de la Rhune | ![]() |
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3000 | 16 Hz, 3Ø | Simplon Tunnel | ![]() ![]() |
Simplon Bahn, 1906–1930 | |
3600 | 16+2⁄3 Hz, 3Ø | ![]() |
operated 1912–1976 in Upper Italy (more info needed) | ||
FS | Porrettana railway | 1927–1935 | |||
3700 | 16+2⁄3 Hz, 3Ø | Brenner Railway | Trento/Trient to Brenner | ![]() |
1929 - 1965 |
5200 | 25 Hz, 3Ø | Almeria – Gergal | ![]() |
1911–1966? | |
6600 | 25 Hz, 3Ø | Great Northern Railway (U.S.) | Cascade Tunnel | ![]() |
1909 - 1929 |
10 kV | 45 Hz, 3Ø | FS | Roma - Sulmona | ![]() |
1929–1944 |
Three Wires
Voltage | Current | Name of system | Location | Country | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
3000 V | 50 Hz | Zahnradbahn Tagebau Gruhlwerk | Kierberg | ![]() |
rack railway (0.7 km) operated 1927–1949 |
10000 V | 50 Hz | Berlin - Lichtenhain | test track (1.8 km). variable voltage and frequency. Ttrial runs 1898–1901 | ||
14 kV (See notes) |
38 Hz - 48 Hz (See notes) |
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. | ||
50 Hz | Ship elevator of Krasnoyarsk Reservoir | ![]() |
length: 1.5 km, 9000 mm gauge |
Special or unusual types
DC, plough collection from conductors in conduit below track
- London County Council Tramways, later operated by London Transport
- streetcars in New York City (Manhattan), New York
- Washington, D.C. streetcars
- Panama Canal locks' ship handlers (called mules)
DC, one ground-level conductor
- Wolverhampton Corporation Tramways, England. (stud contact) (1902–1921)
- Bordeaux Tramway, France. (conductor rail)
DC, two-wire
- Greenwich, England. Previously used by trams when in the vicinity of Greenwich Observatory; separate from trolleybus supply.
- Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Tram (streetcar) system used this arrangement throughout, probably due to legal constraints on ground return currents.
- Havana and Guanabacoa, Cuba. Tram (streetcar) systems in both cities used this arrangement.
DC, power from running rails
- Gross-Lichterfelde Tramway (1881–1893), 180 V
- Ungerer Tramway (1886–1895)
- transportable railways as ride for children
DC, four-rail
Voltage | Type | Contact system | Name of system | Location | Country | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
750 | guide bars | lateral to both guide bars (one guide connected to running rail) | Paris Metro | Paris | France | rubber-tyred lines only |
Lateral (positive) and top of running rails (negative) contact | Montreal Metro | Montreal | Canada | rubber-tyred lines | ||
Mexico City Metro | Mexico City | Mexico | 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[30] |
See also
Footnotes
- ^ BS EN 50163 (2007).
- ^ IEC 60850 (2007).
- ^ a b Schweers+Wall (2012), p. 66.
- ^ page 5
- ^ Sóller Website
- ^ Schweers+Wall (2012), p. 11.
- ^ Schweers+Wall (2012), p. 19.
- ^ "Bahn S4/S10" (in German). SZU. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - ^ Barrow, Keith (14 March 2014). "Cairo to order new trains for metro Line 1". International Railway Journal. Simmons-Boardman Publishing Inc. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ^ "Cairo Metro Tender for New Rolling Stock". MENA RAIL POST. MENA RAIL POST. 16 March 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ^ Boddy et al. (1990), p.101 & p.142
- ^ Boddy et al. (1990), p. 135.
- ^ Dixon (1994), p. 119.
- ^ Boddy et al. (1990), p. 139.
- ^ Swain (1990), p. 19.
- ^ Boddy et al. (1990), p. 92–93.
- ^ Railway Gazette International April 2008, p 240
- ^ Electrified D. L. & W. Time magazine archives Retrieved 2007-08-12
- ^ "Indian Railways FAQ:Electric Traction - I". Indian Railways Fan Club. Retrieved 2011-01-17.
- ^ "Israel Railways awards USD 500m electrification contract to Spanish SEMI". Think Railways. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ^ http://www.railwaysafrica.com/blog/2011/06/new-25kv-electrification-in-tunisia/
- ^ "Espacio del Viajero: Conoce los Trenes" (in Spanish). Mexico City: Ferrocarriles Suburbanos. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
Alimentación (Vcc. catenaria): 25000, 60Hz
- ^ http://www.rtd-fastracks.com/main_398
- ^ "TXU - Monticello Line". Trainweb.org. 1999-11-02. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
- ^ Chemin de fer de La Mure
- ^ "Southend Pier Railway".
- ^ Disused since 2003
- ^ London Underground (October 2014), New Tube for London - Feasibility Report (PDF), p. 26
- ^ "BART System Facts". San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. Retrieved 2014-02-05.
- ^ "Tube | Transport for London". Tfl.gov.uk. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
References
- BS EN 50163 (2007), EN 50163: Railway applications. Supply voltages of traction systems, IET
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(help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - IEC 60850 (2007), IEC 60850: Railway applications - Supply voltages of traction systems (3rd ed.)
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- Dixon, Frank (1994) [1973]. The Manchester South Junction & Altrincham Railway. The Oakwood Library of Railway History (2nd ed.). Headington: Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-454-7. OL34.
{{cite book}}
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(help) - Schweers+Wall (2012). Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz. Verlag Schweers + Wall GmbH. ISBN 978-3-89494-130-7.
{{cite book}}
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(help) - Swain, Alec (1990). British Rail Fleet Survey 11: Overhead Line Electric Multiple-Units. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-1902-9.
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External links
- http://www.bahnstrom.de/bahnstromsysteme/weltweit_kopf.htm
- Map of European voltage-systems
- Southern Electric, England - details of electrification