Innovative CAntilever for Greener Electrification at the Global Centre of Rail Excellence (ICAGE GCRE)

Currently 42% of the UK's routed rail network is electrified, with 4,238km using Overhead Line Electrification (OLE) infrastructure (Office of Road and Rail 2018/19). According to Network Rail TDNS conclusions there is a positive business case for electrification however the cost of rolling programmes in the UK is around £1.5 million per single track kilometre (stk) against for instance, Germany where it is typically £1m per stk. The RIA Electrification Cost Challenge -- March 2019 highlighted that the contribution of the OLE to the total cost can be as high as 45% due to the raw material, the installation of the structure and the foundation.

For rail electrification to be sustainable, there is a need to lower capital costs and embodied carbon. Currently, composite electrification cantilever s are being developed, but these utilise conventional electrification cantilevers. A typical electrification cantilever, consist of metal brackets, electrical insulators and metal arrangement to support the wires above the track. This arrangement is limited when used with composite cantilevers. Electrical insulators are expensive and have very long lead-times. Due to metal brackets, the entire composite cantilever requires electrical bonding (cost) and is still the same weight (bigger foundations).

In response, F+F will develop a disruptive first-of-a-kind composite cantilever, to tackle head on the issues of:

1.Weight -- lighter cantilevers mean smaller cantilever s and foundations are used in construction

(lowering costs and time to build)

2.It would remove the need to have electrical insulators (reduction in cost, install time and embodied carbon)

Developing a composite cantilever would remove these issues and allow the creation of an entire system that is easier to install, lowering capital costs and embodied carbon.

This project represents the next step in which composite cantilevers will be developed and demonstrated. The design and manufacturing process will be developed proving the innovative design in the railway environment with the support of GCRE in Wales to overcome the operational barriers to practical integration, performance, resilience and future requirements including certification.