LS Cable & System, Localization of Rigid DC Overhead Contact Line for Urban Railways

Replacement of Old Japanese Products
30% Savings on Tunnel Construction Costs, 80% on Replacement Costs
Verification Completed with Busan Transportation Corporation

LS Cable & System announced on the 11th that it has localized the rigid DC overhead contact line (R-bar) for urban rail transit.

The R-bar is a structure in which the overhead contact wire supplying power is integrally fixed to a bar made of aluminum alloy. It is mainly used in narrow spaces such as tunnels and underground sections of urban rail transit in a straight form.

Urban rail transit, which operates at low speeds, mainly uses the DC 1500V electrical system. Until now, DC R-bars have not been developed domestically, so Japan-made T-bars (T-shaped) and catenary systems (where the overhead wire is suspended in the air) have been adopted.

At the 'Domestic Production and Demonstration Results Sharing Meeting for DC Rigid Overhead Contact Lines for Urban Railways' held on the 10th at the Busan Transportation Corporation headquarters in Busan, LS Cable and other officials are taking a commemorative photo. (From the fourth person from the left in the front row) Jongwook Lee, Head of Electrical Equipment Division at LS Cable; Byungtae Shin, Head of Electrical and Mechanical Environment Department at Busan Transportation Corporation; Gijun Nam, Head of Communication/Industrial Solutions Research Institute at LS Cable; Eunje Cho, Head of Technology Headquarters at Busan Transportation Corporation; Youngseop Oh, Director of Future Growth Research Institute at Busan Transportation Corporation; Hyunbong Cho, Head of Facility Construction Department at Busan Transportation Corporation. Photo by LS Cable.

The R-bar has a simpler structure compared to the existing T-bar, making construction and maintenance more economical and convenient. Tunnel construction costs can be reduced by 30%, and overhead wire replacement costs by up to 80%, while overhead wire replacement and emergency repairs in case of failure are also easier.

A company official explained, "The old T-bar is no longer being introduced in other countries," adding, "Since most domestic urban rail transit systems are over 30 years old, there is expected to be high demand for replacing the aging T-bars and catenary systems with R-bars."

LS Cable & System recently established a test facility on a line operated by Busan Transportation Corporation to verify performance and stability. The localization project, conducted as a national project by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, involved joint participation from Welco and Jaeyeong Tech, manufacturers of electric railway equipment, while Busan construction company MY Comprehensive Electric was responsible for test installation construction. Busan Transportation Corporation supported the creation of public-private joint R&D outcomes by providing the testbed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.