Assessment of grounding, bonding, and insulation on rail potential and stray currents in a direct current transit system

Abstract This article presents the effects of different grounding strategies (ungrounded, direct grounded, and diode grounded), bonding, and insulation on rail potential and stray currents in the Taipei rapid transit systems (TRTSs). The TRTS is a direct current transit railway and its running rails are used as the return conductor for traction currents. The advantage is that no dedicated return conductor is required, whereas the disadvantages are rail potential and stray-current problems. Thus, the analysis of grounding strategies is important and necessary. Moreover, the effects of cross-bonding of the running rails and stray-current collector cables (traction earth conductors) are investigated since bonding is usually used to balance traction negative return currents, to reduce resistances of the negative return circuit, as well as to decrease rail potential. Meanwhile, the effects of insulation on stray currents are also described. Simulation results for the Blue line are presented in TRTS.