London Underground seeks Central Railway help for DC-AC change

[black_jack]

The famed London Underground Railway has approached Central Railway (CR) for help to convert from DC power to AC.

CR is in the process of changing the suburban railway system from DC to AC.

A better part — 70 per cent — of the London line runs in tunnels under the Thames river.

Seniors in the operation department of London Underground Railway were so impressed by a presentation made by CR chief electrical engineer P K Srivastava on 'Experiences and challenges of operating/upgrading railways in India' at an Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), UK, seminar, they sought CR help in conversion of the tube power system from DC to AC.

Mike Bridgefoot, CEO & FIET manager (registration & standards), IET, told Srivastava London Underground would seek CR know-how soon after it completes the DC-AC conversion in Mumbai.

He was impressed that the Mumbai change was being implemented without suspension of the 1,620 services that ferry 35 lakh suburban commuters every day.

This, despite a window of only two hours. The last local leaves CST at 12.38 am and the first at 4.05 am.

Srivastava said the conversion had been completed till LTT and in three more months, trains would run on AC power up to CST.

The chief electrical engineer, credited with developing an economical procedure to retrofit old rakes, has been honoured with a fellowship by IET.

Officials at the seminar said: "There are two main problems before London Underground Railway. Tunnel railway is on 750 voltage D/C and limitations of the D/C system prohibit increasing services."

London Underground celebrates 150 years

On January 9, 2013, London Underground celebrated 150 years since the first journey between Paddington and Farringdon on metropolitan railway. The London transportation network is through tunnels. Sir Marc Brunel, and his famous son Isambard, had built Thames Tunnel between Rotherhithe and Wapping. This was the first underwater tunnel in the world. Originally designed for horse-drawn traffic, it opened in 1843 for pedestrians, became a railway tunnel in 1869 and now carries the East London line.


London Underground seeks CR help for DC-AC changeKalpana Verma - Indian Express

 

[Capt.Popeye]

It is great to read that report. The early electrification of the Indian Railways was based on 1500V DC because that was the system that the British had set up on the Bombay suburban section (the first electrified section of Indian Railways). Later IR stuck with it when they extended the system to Kasara and Pune. But its technical limitations were already known. So IR decided to use 25KV AC in the rest of the country for all future projects. But the Bombay Suburban section remained unique and IR had to use dual mode AC/DC locomotives for mainline trains while the suburban EMUs remained DC. This conversion has been undertaken in a creeping fashion; so nobody even noticed it! Finally it is getting talked about and recognised. Good that the British can use that knowledge from us.

 

[Brahmos_2]

That's a Great News..