Reduction of power transmission losses in high-speed rail systems through efficient scheduling

Abstract

The need to reduce overall energy consumption motivates the search for ways to improve energy use by transportation. Electrification has helped to significantly reduce the energy intensity of rail transportation. On today’s high-speed lines, power flows between trains and traction transformers are generally transmitted through the 2x25 electrification system. Although most of the energy provided to the railway system is consumed by the moving trains, a part of the energy is lost in the electrification system itself. In this study, dynamic computer simulations of realistic high-speed rail operating scenarios are developed and the energy losses in the electrification system are evaluated. The results show that power transmission losses are significant, and their value depends on the operation scenario. Finally, a method for selecting the minimum transmission loss operating scenarios is proposed, without modifying the transportation capacity offered or altering the resources required for the operation of a high-speed rail.