Dr. Ir. A. Zoeteman studied Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis and Management at the Delft University of Technology, where he also holds a PhD. He works as a senior researcher at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Engineering Assets Management group. Since mid-2005 he worked as a teamleader, infrastructure architect, and policy advisor in the areas of railway track, civil works, and power supply, at ProRail, the Dutch rail infrastructure manager, and EIM, the European Rail Infrastructure Managers. Currently his key projects are in the field of traction power supply, railway vibrations and vehicle-infrastructure interaction.
Presentation Title
The Energy Efficiency of Existing Infrastructures: A Case from the Railways
Abstract
This paper presents a case study from the Dutch rail sector, which will demonstrate the potential of analysing efficiency levels of existing (traction) technology. The Dutch railway system is equipped with a 1500V direct current (DC) system to provide traction to trains. A migration path to an alternative traction system, a 3 kV DC system, was analyzed on its potential benefits and costs in 2013 and 2014. It revealed that the current 1500V D system can still be importantly improved in terms of energy efficiency, but that 3 kV can achieve a stepchange in energy savings.