Railway Electrification In India

Indian Railway Signalling

Railway Electrification In India

1925 – D.C. Electric traction on 1500 V D.C.

First section – 16 KMs on Central Railway from BBVT to Kurla (via Harbour Branch) was electrified. By 1930, the D.C. traction system was extended upto Pune and lgatpuri.

The Southern Railway Metre Gauge line from Madras Beach to Tambaram was electrified in 1931.

By 1936, about 388 RKM had been electrified serving mainly suburban sections of Bombay and Madras with the only exception of Bombay‑Pune and Bombay‑lgatpuri main line sections‑ where heavy gradients on the ghats favoured the introduction of Electrification.

After a lapse of nearly 20 years, electric traction was introduced in 1958 in Calcutta Suburban Section over Howrah‑Burdwan and Sheorapuli­ Tarakeshwar on 3000 V D.C. system.

In the year 1951, France first introduced 25 KV AC single phase 50 cycle traction system in French National Railways. This was followed by U.K. in 1956.

In the late fifties, Indian Railways also have, as a matter of policy decided to go in for 25 KV AC 50 Hz Traction System.

French National Railways, i.e. SNCF had the maximum experience with 25 KV AC 50 Hz system of Electrification and so, they were appointed as Technical Consultants for the Electrification Projects by Indian Railways.

The first section of 25 KV AC Electrification was carried out for 75 Route Kilometres (RKM) between Raj‑Kharsawan ‑ Dongaposi on South Eastern Railway in August 1960.

Since then, tracks to the extent of more than 16,000 RKMs have been put to 25 KV AC traction systems on Indian Railways with nearly 405 RKM in Bombay area still continuing to be operated on 1500 V D.C. traction system.

 

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