1.
Track gauge
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In rail transport, track gauge is the spacing of the rails on a railway track and is measured between the inner faces of the load-bearing rails. All vehicles on a network must have running gear that is compatible with the track gauge, as the dominant parameter determining interoperability, it is still frequently used as a descriptor of a route or network. There is a distinction between the gauge and actual gauge at some locality, due to divergence of track components from the nominal. Railway engineers use a device, like a caliper, to measure the actual gauge, the nominal track gauge is the distance between the inner faces of the rails. In current practice, it is specified at a distance below the rail head as the inner faces of the rail head are not necessarily vertical. In some cases in the earliest days of railways, the company saw itself as an infrastructure provider only. Colloquially the wagons might be referred to as four-foot gauge wagons, say and this nominal value does not equate to the flange spacing, as some freedom is allowed for. An infrastructure manager might specify new or replacement track components at a variation from the nominal gauge for pragmatic reasons. Track is defined in old Imperial units or in universally accepted metric units or SI units, Imperial units were established in United Kingdom by The Weights and Measures Act of 1824. In addition, there are constraints, such as the load-carrying capacity of axles. Narrow gauge railways usually cost less to build because they are lighter in construction, using smaller cars and locomotives, as well as smaller bridges, smaller tunnels. Narrow gauge is often used in mountainous terrain, where the savings in civil engineering work can be substantial. Broader gauge railways are generally expensive to build and require wider curves. There is no single perfect gauge, because different environments and economic considerations come into play, a narrow gauge is superior if ones main considerations are economy and tight curvature. For direct, unimpeded routes with high traffic, a broad gauge may be preferable, the Standard, Russian, and 46 gauges are designed to strike a reasonable balance between these factors. In addition to the general trade-off, another important factor is standardization, once a standard has been chosen, and equipment, infrastructure, and training calibrated to that standard, conversion becomes difficult and expensive. This also makes it easier to adopt an existing standard than to invent a new one and this is true of many technologies, including railroad gauges. The reduced cost, greater efficiency, and greater economic opportunity offered by the use of a common standard explains why a number of gauges predominate worldwide
2.
Railway electrification system
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A railway electrification system supplies electric power to railway trains and trams without an on-board prime mover or local fuel supply. Electrification has many advantages but requires significant capital expenditure, selection of an electrification system is based on economics of energy supply, maintenance, and capital cost compared to the revenue obtained for freight and passenger traffic. Different systems are used for urban and intercity areas, some electric locomotives can switch to different supply voltages to allow flexibility in operation, Electric railways use electric locomotives to haul passengers or freight in separate cars or electric multiple units, passenger cars with their own motors. Electricity is typically generated in large and relatively efficient generating stations, transmitted to the railway network, some electric railways have their own dedicated generating stations and transmission lines but most purchase power from an electric utility. The railway usually provides its own lines, switches and transformers. Power is supplied to moving trains with a continuous conductor running along the track usually takes one of two forms. The first is a line or catenary wire suspended from poles or towers along the track or from structure or tunnel ceilings. Locomotives or multiple units pick up power from the wire with pantographs on their roofs that press a conductive strip against it with a spring or air pressure. Examples are described later in this article, the second is a third rail mounted at track level and contacted by a sliding pickup shoe. Both overhead wire and third-rail systems usually use the rails as the return conductor. In comparison to the alternative, the diesel engine, electric railways offer substantially better energy efficiency, lower emissions. Electric locomotives are usually quieter, more powerful, and more responsive and they have no local emissions, an important advantage in tunnels and urban areas. Different regions may use different supply voltages and frequencies, complicating through service, the limited clearances available under catenaries may preclude efficient double-stack container service. Possible lethal electric current due to risk of contact with high-voltage contact wires, overhead wires are safer than third rails, but they are often considered unsightly. These are independent of the system used, so that. The permissible range of voltages allowed for the voltages is as stated in standards BS EN50163. These take into account the number of trains drawing current and their distance from the substation, railways must operate at variable speeds. Until the mid 1980s this was only practical with the brush-type DC motor, since such conversion was not well developed in the late 19th century and early 20th century, most early electrified railways used DC and many still do, particularly rapid transit and trams
3.
Overhead line
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An overhead line or overhead wire is used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses, or trains. Overhead line is designed on the principle of one or more overhead wires situated over rail tracks, the feeder stations are usually fed from a high-voltage electrical grid. Electric trains that collect their current from overhead lines use a device such as a pantograph and it presses against the underside of the lowest overhead wire, the contact wire. Current collectors are electrically conductive and allow current to flow through to the train or tram, non-electric locomotives may pass along these tracks without affecting the overhead line, although there may be difficulties with overhead clearance. Alternative electrical power transmission schemes for trains include third rail, ground-level power supply, batteries and this article does not cover regenerative braking, where the traction motors act as generators to retard movement and return power to the overhead. To achieve good high-speed current collection, it is necessary to keep the wire geometry within defined limits. This is usually achieved by supporting the wire from a second wire known as the messenger wire or catenary. This wire approximates the path of a wire strung between two points, a catenary curve, thus the use of catenary to describe this wire or sometimes the whole system. This wire is attached to the wire at regular intervals by vertical wires known as droppers or drop wires. It is supported regularly at structures, by a pulley, link, the whole system is then subjected to a mechanical tension. As the contact wire makes contact with the pantograph, the insert on top of the pantograph is worn down. The straight wire between supports will cause the wire to cross over the whole surface of the pantograph as the train travels around the curve, causing uniform wear. On straight track, the wire is zigzagged slightly to the left. The movement of the wire across the head of the pantograph is called the sweep. The zigzagging of the line is not required for trolley poles. Depot areas tend to have only a wire and are known as simple equipment or trolley wire. When overhead line systems were first conceived, good current collection was only at low speeds. Compound equipment - uses a second wire, known as the auxiliary
4.
Transperth Trains
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Transperth Trains is a division of Public Transport Authority of Western Australia. It is responsible for operating Perth’s urban passenger rail system, as part of the Transperth network, the Fremantle line service ceased in September 1979 but was reinstated in July 1983. Diesel trains were used on the network until the three lines then in service, the Armadale, Fremantle and Midland, were electrified in the early 1990s. The first service with the A-series train was introduced in September 1991, the Midland and Fremantle lines commenced service with the then-new A-series trains in December 1991. The Northern Suburbs Transit System was the given to the project to provide high-speed passenger rail services to the northern corridor of metropolitan Perth. To service the northern suburbs, Joondalup line was built in the median of the Mitchell Freeway in the early 1990s. The line was extended to Currambine in 1993, to Clarkson in 2004. Legislation for the construction of the Mandurah Line was passed in December 1999, the original proposed route branched from the Armadale line at Kenwick, and then ran alongside the freight lines until Jandakot where it would run in the middle of the Kwinana Freeway. Construction of the started in February 2004 and it opened on 23 December 2007. Because the government did not begin its review of the Mandurah Line masterplan until after construction had begun, to make use of the new tunnel, the government decided to convert this section into a small spur line to Thornlie. It was decided that Armadale trains would alternate with Thornlie trains, with the Thornlie trains stopping at all stations and Armadale trains only stopping at Oats Street, Thornlie station opened on 7 August 2005. In 2003, the government launched the New MetroRail program as the name of the upgrades to the rail network. This program included the following projects, Extension of the Joondalup line to Clarkson, purchasing 93 B-series carriages to service the Clarkson and Mandurah lines. These railcars would be configured as 31 three-car sets, construction of the Thornlie line and Armadale spur line. Rebuilding Armadale, Bassendean and Gosnells stations in 2004/05, New Greenwood station built in 2005 between Warwick and Whitfords to relieve the pressure on these stations. Upgrade of West Leederville station, including a third platform, to help serve crowds from Subiaco Oval, in the 2009–10 state budget funding was allocated for extending the Joondalup line north to Butler, with construction scheduled to start in 2010. In addition, the Airport Masterplan calls for a line from the Midland Line to connect to Perth Airport. The line would deviate between Bayswater and Ashfield stations, run through the suburb of Redcliffe, while this link has been the subject of studies and plans since at least 2008 and appeared in the PTA2010 report it has disappeared entirely from the 2011 report
5.
Perth railway station
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Perth railway station is the largest station on the Transperth network serving the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. It serves as an interchange between the Armadale, Fremantle, Joondalup, Mandurah and Midland lines as well as Transwas Australind service. The foundation stone for the George Temple-Poole designed Perth station was laid on 10 May 1880 and it had one through platform with terminating bay platforms at either end. The Neoclassical style building had a second added in 1894 that became the headquarters of the Western Australian Government Railways until 1976. A planned third storey and clocktower were never built, the building has been renovated and expanded numerous times since being built, as well as the forecourt entrance area. The station was the centre of the Western Australian Government Railways system with most regional trains originating from the station, a collection of freight and administrative offices and tearooms were part of the railway station complex. The railway building has at times housed various commercial operations as well as police offices, the WA Craft Council was a tenant in the 1980s. For a considerable length of time the area was used for car parking. This is now very limited except for official vehicles, as early as the 1950s, there were moves and suggestions for the redevelopment of the station area. In connection with the electrification of the Armadale line, a platform was added in 1992. The new platforms opened on 15 October 2007, the underground platforms, numbered 1 and 2, are known as Perth Underground, but are considered part of the overall Perth station. The existing platforms were refurbished with the above ground platforms reduced from nine to seven, in September 2013, a new Platform 9 on the Roe Street side of the station opened. This new platform was used for special event services until mid-December 2013. Buses also operate from the nearby Perth Busport, and rail replacement services depart from Roe Street bus station
6.
Beach Road, Perth
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Beach Road also serves as a local government boundary. From Alexander Drive to Wanneroo road beach road is the boundary with the City of Wanneroo on the northern side, from Wanneroo Road to the coast Beach Road is the boundary with the City of Joondalup on the northern side and the City of Stirling on the southern side. It was surveyed as Road No.246 by A. Crowther in 1900 and it included modern-day Sandstone Place in Marmion and Treen Street in Balga, running purely east-west, and formed the boundary between the Wanneroo and Perth Road Districts. The road serviced a number of rural grants around Lake Carine as well as the small coastal town of Marmion. By 1968, two different parts of the road were impacted by development, the Shires of Perth and Wanneroo agreed to build a new road on the present alignment, and close 95 chains of the old road between what is now Glendale Avenue and Wanneroo Road. In 1974, the Warwick Grove Shopping Centre was built at the intersection of Erindale Road, a bus transfer station alongside the proposed Mitchell Freeway was constructed in the early 1980s, which was demolished in 1992 to construct Warwick railway station. The construction of the Reid Highway in stages from 1988 to 2001 about 1–2 km further south for Beach Roads entire length provided an alternative for east-west traffic, Marmion Avenue - Watermans Bay, Marmion, Duncraig and Carine. The section from the coast meets Marmion Avenue 80 m south of the main intersection
7.
25 kV AC railway electrification
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25 kV alternating current electrification is commonly used in railway electrification systems worldwide, especially for high-speed rail. This electrification is ideal for railways that cover long distances or carry heavy traffic, after some experimentation before World War II in Hungary and in the Black Forest in Germany, it came into widespread use in the 1950s. Railways using older, lower-capacity direct current systems have introduced or are introducing 25 kV AC instead of 3 kV DC/1.5 kV DC for their new high-speed lines. The first successful operational and regular use of the 50 Hz system dates back to 1931 and it was developed by Kálmán Kandó in Hungary, who used 16 kV AC at 50 Hz, asynchronous traction, and an adjustable number of poles. The first electrified line for testing was Budapest–Dunakeszi–Alag, the first fully electrified line was Budapest–Győr–Hegyeshalom. Although Kandós solution showed a way for the future, railway operators outside of Hungary showed a lack of interest in the design. The first railway to use system was completed in 1951 by SNCF between Aix-les-Bains and La Roche-sur-Foron in southern France, initially at 20 kV but converted to 25 kV in 1953. The main reason why electrification at this voltage had not been used before was the lack of reliability of mercury-arc-type rectifiers that could fit on the train. This in turn related to the requirement to use DC series motors, until the early 1950s, mercury-arc rectifiers were difficult to operate even in ideal conditions and were therefore unsuitable for use in the railway industry. It was possible to use AC motors, but they did not have a characteristic for traction purposes. This was because control of speed is difficult without varying the frequency and this is why DC series motors were the best choice for traction purposes, as they can be controlled by voltage, and have an almost ideal torque vs speed characteristic. In the 1990s, high-speed trains began to use lighter, lower-maintenance three-phase AC induction motors. The N700 Shinkansen uses a converter to convert 25 kV single-phase AC to 1,520 V AC to 3,000 V DC to a maximum 2,300 V three-phase AC to run the motors. The system works in reverse for regenerative braking, the choice of 25 kV was related to the efficiency of power transmission as a function of voltage and cost, not based on a neat and tidy ratio of the supply voltage. For a given level, a higher voltage allows for a lower current. The Indian Traction Power uses a 25 kV autotransformer system to achieve greater than the 25 kV system. Supply, in terms, the supply for the electric trains run by the Indian Rail uses only two phases of the normal three-phase electric power supply. The usage of the two phases is a one, feeding a single phase transformer with the two phases instead of the conventional feeding of a phase and a neutral
8.
Fremantle railway line
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The Fremantle railway line is a suburban railway line in Western Australia that connects the state capital of Perth with the port city of Fremantle. The line opened on 1 March 1881 as the first suburban line in Perth by William C. F. Robinson. It originally operated as the Eastern Railway and ran between Fremantle and Guildford, via central Perth, in March 1884, the line was extended via Midland Junction to Bellevue and later to Clackline, York and Northam. The line opened as a track with a passing loop at Claremont. A dedicated freight line was added on the western side between Cottesloe and the Leighton Marshalling Yard. In July 1926, the Fremantle Railway Bridge over the Swan River was partly washed away in a flood, with one line restored in October 1926 and the second in April 1928. In the 1960s, as part of the standard gauge project, one of the lines north of Cockburn to the container terminal at North Quay and Leighton Marshalling Yard was converted to standard gauge. The Fremantle Railway Bridge was converted to dual gauge, a marshalling yard was built at Robbs Jetty. In 1966, the eastern railway metropolitan passenger services were curtailed to terminate at Midland, passenger services on the Fremantle line were suspended on 1 September 1979. The decision was based on three one day counts in 1971,1975 and 1977, despite a petition signed by 110,000 people the government was not persuaded to change its mind. The service was reinstated on 29 July 1983 following a change of government, for the staging of the 1987 Americas Cup, stations south of Fremantle were erected for use by special trains at The Esplanade, Success Harbour and South Beach. The Hotham Valley Railway operated a service on this section of the line with a W class steam locomotive as the Spinnaker Run between October 1986 and February 1987. The narrow and standard gauge lines were rebuilt as a dual gauge line at the same time. During 1990, work commenced on building a new North Fremantle station,800 metres north of its original location, Leighton station, which was 700 metres further north, was demolished during the electrification of the line. Regular electric services started in September 1991, today there are 17 stations on the line. As part of the Subi Centro project,900 metres of the line, between 2011 and 2014, the Fremantle line was sunk between Lake Street and the Horseshoe Bridge in the Perth CBD to allow for the redevelopment of the area. Perth stations former Fremantle to Midland platform became a platform, with an additional platform. Platforms west of the Horseshoe Bridge were demolished, in June 2011 a $237 million cost blow-out was revealed, added to a 2009 project estimate of $500 million
9.
Reid Highway
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Reid Highway is a 23 kilometre east-west highway and partial freeway in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, linking North Beach with Middle Swan. As part of State Route 3, it forms half of Perths outer ring road along with Roe Highway, the highway has many variable speed limits and road conditions along its length, but is predominantly a four-lane dual carriageway with a 90 km/h speed limit. An 8 kilometre section, between Erindale Road and Tonkin Highway, is a continuous freeway, in conjunction with Tonkin Highway, it serves as an important arterial connection between Perths coastal and eastern suburbs, industrial areas and Perth Airport. In 1989 it was subsequently renamed Reid Highway, in honour of former Western Australia Governor Gordon Reid, the next section was built between Alexander Drive and Malaga Drive, and was opened on 6 September 1991. The highway was extended with the section between Mirrabooka Avenue and Wanneroo Road, which opened on 17 November 1994. The highway was finally made continuous on 6 September 1996 with the opening of the Erindale Road–Wanneroo Road segment, a short time later, it was extended eastwards to West Swan Road. This section, which opened on 25 November 1996, provided a connection to Great Northern Highway and Roe Highway via Middle Swan Road, in 2001, the highway was extended west from Mitchell Freeway to Marmion Avenue as a two-lane divided carriageway, which opened on 30 July. This extension was highly controversial as it passes through the environmentally sensitive Carine wetlands and the Lake Carine region, concerns about environmental damage prompted construction delays, and slight alterations to the route. Criticism of the quality and capacity of the highway has also been an issue, Reid Highway in Westminster has no street lighting and has attracted both antisocial behaviour and a number of accidents. The extension runs parallel to Middle Swan Road, which has been retained as an access road. Middle Swan Road is of a poor standard and capacity. In 2011, the highways traffic-light intersections at Alexander Drive and Mirrabooka Avenue were both upgraded to diamond interchanges, with bridges being constructed to carry highway traffic. Along with the similarly grade-separated Wanneroo Road interchange, this completed an 8 kilometre section of grade-separated, the T junction at Lord Street has been upgraded to a traffic light controlled intersection, with four through lanes and improved turning lanes on Reid Highway. The RAC has lobbied for continued improvements to Reid Highway, calling for grade-separation at the Malaga Drive intersection, the WA State Government initially did not commit to further major upgrades, instead funding an upgrade to the turning lanes at the Malaga Drive intersection. In December 2012, the State Government announced that the Malaga Drive intersection would be separated by 2014-15. The project uses the diamond interchange design that was constructed at Alexander Drive. Works were completed in 2016 to upgrade the Mitchell Freeway diamond interchange to dual carriageway with an overpass bridge, extra turning lanes. The project aims to lower congestion, and reduce the volume of traffic using local roads to avoid the interchange, the works also included upgrading the Duffy Road intersection to traffic light control, and widening of the highway to the west of Duffy Road
10.
Elizabeth Quay railway station
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Elizabeth Quay station, formerly known as the Esplanade station, serves the southern end of Perths central business district including Elizabeth Quay and the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. It is part of the Transperth network, Elizabeth Quay station was built as part of the New MetroRail project. Construction began in 2004 with the opening under the name Esplanade station on 15 October 2007. On 23 December 2007, the Mandurah line opened and through services commenced, on 31 January 2016, Esplanade station and the Esplanade Busport were renamed to Elizabeth Quay railway station and Elizabeth Quay Bus Station at an estimated combined cost of $700,000. The opposition Labor Party criticised the costs given the poor finances. Elizabeth Quay station is served by Transperth Joondalup and Mandurah line services, Elizabeth Quay station has the following platform configuration, Bus transfers are available at the adjoining Elizabeth Quay Bus Station, including the Blue CAT. Ferry transfers are available at Elizabeth Quay nearby
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