Benefits of a low frequency, low voltage railway electrification system

Abstract

The benefits of a low frequency (15-20 Hz) railway electrification system are presented in this paper. The low frequency railway electrification system has been used in European countries for almost a century. The railway electrification load is one of the worst kinds of load to be fed by an electrical utility. It requires over-sized substation facilities and results in power quality deterioration. With the modern day power electronics technology available for frequency conversion and the high power quality demanded by the utility power customers, the low frequency systems will provide an affordable and desirable railway electrification system.