The conductor rail - an alternative to the conventional contact line

In 1984 Furrer+Frey have once again taken up the idea of the conductor rail. As early as 1890, railway systems in Baltimore (USA) were equipped with conductor rails. More recent versions have been in operation in Japan since 1968. In Germany, self-supporting copper sections were suspended from insulators. There were one or more weaknesses in all of these systems. Either the quantity and weight of the components used was high or current collection was poor. Furrer+Frey continued to develop the conductor rail, paired with standard contact wires as pre EN 50149.

The aluminium conductor rail section now available in its third generation is light, allows relatively large spans, provides a large-size electrical cross-section of about 1,300 mm² copper-equivalent and permits rapid insertion or exchange of contact wires.

One substantial advantage of the Furrer+Frey conductor rail is the fact that it can be built into existing contact line sections. The transition bar provides a smooth transition of the contact wire from catenary system to conductor rail. Patents cover the transition bar, the inline horn (which is what we call the new transition element between two conductor rail sections) and other components.

Fault-free experience has been acquired since 1984. Around one hundred tunnels and 80 depots and bridges have been realized throughout the world, and on some stretches trains travel at speeds of up to 200 km/h.

In 1996, our conductor rail system was approved for 140 kmph by the Federal German Railways Office in Bonn as first foreign contact line system in Germany. The Swiss Federal Ministry of Transport (BAV) granted the authority for 160 km/h working throughout Switzerland in 2004. The Railway Cert (EBC) granted us the certificate for interoperability up to 250 km/h in 2004.

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While our conductor rails were originally developed to cope with confined space in tunnels, now they are used also because of their great reliability and the wide variety of possible applications of which the electrification of bascule, swing and lift bridges, workshops and depots as well as construction sites are applications worth mentioning in particular.

Furrer+Frey are designing and constructing such systems in and outside Switzerland and also supply the necessary control units with the appropriate safety and interlocking systems.