Author: Pandrol

Ask the expert: Should Rigid Catenary be on open tracks?

Ask the expert

We discuss the use of Rigid Catenary on open tracks with Fréderic Petrus, Electrification manager for Pandrol

Should a project use Rigid Catenary for electrification when the setting is mainly open tracks, not tunnels?

Rigid Catenary is known for being more expensive than conventional catenary as the supports required are closer together and more frequent. However, there are major advantages of Rigid Catenary for use on outdoor track as it involves less maintenance and there are safety benefits for the installation team. Conventional catenary requires tension in the wire in order to make it run straight, which is not required with rigid. Because there is no tension in the wire with Rigid Catenary, the wire is less subject to wear. It also means less risk of the wire breaking at random and causing ongoing stoppages for maintenance.

Rigid Catenary also reduces the risk of systems shutting down as it offers increased reliability, with an expected longer lifetime due to lack of wear of the wire. As a result of this, many urban transit networks are specifying Rigid Catenary on outside tracks. The ultimate benefit of Pandrol’s Rigid Catenary is to maximize uptime and extend the lifetime value of the electrification system. With over 15 years’ experience within Pandrol’s team in delivering efficient, reliable, high performing Rigid Catenary systems, this represents a long term solution to the electrification of many global metro networks.