Las Train catenaries are the overhead cables responsible for carrying the electricity that moves trains and trams.
The breakdown of this system of overhead lines that powers rail transport near Guadalajara cut off the circulation of all high-speed trains between Madrid and Barcelona for more than 6 hours, which also includes the transport to and from Zaragoza origin. all of Renfe’s AVE trains, such as Ouigo and Iryo, were disrupted from early afternoon this Thursday until the evening.
The voltage of the catenaries
Catenaries, also called overhead contact lines, They provide power for trains, railways, and trams. The most constant tension in a catenary varies from 600 V (volts) to over 3,000 in direct current, and between 15 and 25 kV in alternating current.
Adif explained that this contact line is composed of “support cable, contact wire, false support or ‘Y’ suspension and equipotential suspension.” These cables send the energy needed for their initiation and movement.
This current of energy is transmitted to the trains through a pantograph that connects the train to the catenary. the positive installation pole is the catenary and the negative is the tracks on which the train runs. The current reaches the train through the catenary through the pantograph and returns to the substation through the railroad tracks.
How many trains were affected by the catenary break?
tight-fitting about thirty trains and thousands of passengers on the Madrid-Barcelona line were affected by the devastation of this catenary. According to Adif, the technicians went to Brihuega to repair the damaged catenary. due to a snag while a convoy was passing”.
The priority is to reduce the stress on the road Barcelona-Madrid to recover traffic on the corridor. The design of the line allows trains to be transferred from one track to another so that in the affected section they can travel in both directions on one lane, but the voltage drop disrupts the circulation on the other side of the road.
