50 years of switching station design development on AC electrified railways in the UK

This paper traces the development of 25 kV AC power supplies delivery to the overhead line equipment (OLE) on the UK railway network since 1956. The aim of this paper is to uncover the underlying design issues that govern the delivery of power supplies to the OLE and highlight the critical design drivers that influence successful future design principles of switching stations on the railway. It should be noted the term switching stations is used throughout this paper to describe all types of 25 kV switching arrangements.