Retractable catenary could be freight yard game changer
Prototype system could pave the way for more fully-electrified freight workings.
THE development of retractable overhead catenary, allowing wagons to be safely loaded and unloaded in electrified freight terminals, could be a game changer when it comes to rail decarbonisation.
Conventional fixed Overhead Line Electrification (OLE) makes wagon unloading impossible, but a retractable bar catenary, which has won Government funding, could be a solution to help decarbonisation of the rail network through wider electrification.
It would cut the need to use diesel locos to haul aggregate or container trains, reduce the need for diesel shunting locos, and create an overall improvement in air quality by cutting emissions.
Many rail freight terminals are next to electrified railways, but the OLE stops short and prevents trains from being unloaded safely.
The prototype project is one of 30 to receive funding from Innovate UK and the Department for Transport through a ‘First of a Kind 2021’ rail innovation competition, and it was demonstrated to interested parties at the GB Railfreight site in Wellingborough on March 17.
First freight yard use
Specialist OLE design company Furrer+Frey (F+F), along with a number of partners, have spearheaded the development of retractable catenary for freight yards at the point of unloading.
A similar version is already used at Bounds Green and Temple Mills maintenance depots to access roof mounted components on passenger trains, but this is the first freight yard specific version.
The bar catenary is swung to the side, as motorised arms turn through 90 degrees, before it is locked in place and the electrical supply isolated. Although the demonstration used a short section over two box wagons, longer sections are understood to be possible.
As freight terminals are independently operated, it remains to be seen what interest is generated, but its use is said to speed up freight handling by a third, eliminate the need for supplementary diesel power, and is another big step in the move to rail decarbonisation.