Current Limit at Standstill
Research, Development and Testing Study

Under its railway decarbonisation programme of research and development, the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) has commissioned Navitas Engineering to undertake a study on the impact of high currents being drawn by bi-mode trains to ‘fast charge’ on-board batteries.

The primary focus of the study is to establish the maximum current that can be drawn across the pantograph/contact wire and collector shoe/conductor rail interfaces whilst trains are at standstill. This has been achieved through laboratory heat run testing of various equipment configurations.

The outputs from the work will enable industry stakeholders to identify the limitations of charging batteries using existing electrification systems, and will facilitate the design of future systems.