Electrification

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A special infrastructure of electrical traction equipment is intended to provide each train with the power it needs to move and make its journey, carrying people and goods from the station of departure to the station of arrival at the speed suitable to meet the time schedule. The electricity for the supply, transmission and control of train traction power is provided via:

the substations, electrical nodes connected to a high-voltage network that are capable of transforming and converting high voltage into a form suitable for powering train controls and engines
the catenary system, the set of overhead cables that distribute electricity over the railway line and transmit it to the trains by means of current-collecting devices known as pantographs
the remote control equipment for the Operational Direction of Traction Power (DOTE), which allows to carry out from a central remote control post the opening/closing of the disconnectors and circuit breakers of a large portion of the network and to report any alarm signals to the DOTE post.

The new sections of the Italian HS/HC system are electrified via 2x25 kV AC, and the electric traction systems have been designed in order to meet the performance requirements associated with the new type of High Speed traffic, which involves trains travelling at 300 km/h and absorbing considerable quantities of power at the pantograph, up to about 12 MW, with a train transiting every 5 minutes. Each electrical substation can power sections of railway line of significant length (50 km on average).

At the ends of the 2x25 kV AC electrified sections, 3 kV DC-powered terminal electrical sections are provided near urban nodes and interconnections. At the interconnections with conventional lines powered via 3 kV DC, "border posts" (POCs) have been built to maintain the mechanical and electrical separation between the two systems and to allow, through on-board equipment, the automatic change of power supply when the train passes up to 250 km/h.

The catenary line is designed to achieve adequate collection quality at the design speed of 300 km/h by sizing the conductor tension, which has been significantly increased compared to conventional lines. All catenary components were subjected to special experimentation carried out on a sample section in order to verify their dynamic behaviour with respect to repeated train stresses at 300 km/h.

All electrical substation and contact line equipment is controlled and monitored through new "DOTE AV" (HS DOTE) systems. Through these it is possible to configure the systems in real time to ensure continuity of operation, even in case of failures or anomalies, and to control the status of the different equipment, as well as the values of line voltage and current.