NR RT/E/C/50018 ISSUE 1 PDF

This document is a generic EMC approach to be adopted for assessing compatibility between trains on Railtrack and systems on neighbouring railways' infrastructure.

Demonstration of compliance is achieved by the following process:

• Identify neighbouring systems.

• Determine system susceptibility.

• Establish coupling factors.

• Determine allowable levels on Railtrack.

• Assess permissible levels against train emissions.

These elements allow the wheel/rail interface currents to be defined on the Railtrack infrastructure. These can then be compared to the train emissions under defined operational conditions at the input terminals of the equipment on neighbouring infrastructure after taking into account the possible coupling factors between the adjacent railways. Thus the overall approach for demonstrating compatibility provided in the report is based on level alone.

The appendix to this standard which relates to modelling considers only conductive and inductive coupling. These coupling mechanisms are generally dominant, this should be confirmed for the system under study.

The interference level due to energy coupling to a neighbouring railway's equipment is assessed and compared against existing permissible levels. This assessment includes interference, which has the potential to affect track circuits and other equipment installed on the neighbouring railway, generated by trains running on adjacent Railtrack lines, when operating normally and when they experience failures. The possibility of Radio Frequency interference shall also be considered, guidance being given in the ITU Directives, ref. [15].

Purpose

The purpose of this code of practice is to provide a methodology to demonstrate compatibility of traction and rolling stock operating on Railtrack electrified lines with the infrastructure of neighbouring railways & vice versa. This document is based on several submissions to railways the neighbour Railtrack lines and it should not be inferred that it has been approved by any particular neighbour neither does its use guarantee acceptance by any neighbour. The authority that constitutes the 'neighbouring' party should be consulted and approval to use the methodology presented here gained in principle.