3 kV DC catenary upgrade to 200 km/h for Spanish Railways

The authors highlight the main course of events leading up to the uprating of the Spanish State Railways (RENFE) 3 kV DC lines to run at 200 km/h. Three test sections of the railway are identified to test different contractors´ solutions. The authors concentrate on the Balfour Beatty/Nemel solution, which has been installed in the Test Section Number 2, Villar de Chinchilla to Almansa Station. The steps taken to achieve an optimised design are demonstrated. The design process started with the existing equipment format and showed how, by using the most up to date computer techniques, it was possible to establish the overall sensitivity of key aspects of the design. These aspects, wherever practicable, are developed to fit into the existing equipment with a minimum of change