A charging station for accumulator-powered traction units was set up at the station Annaberg-Buchholz Süd in June 2023 as part of the joint development project of Rail Power Systems (RPS), F&S Prozessautomation, DB Energie, DB Erzgebirgsbahn, the Technical University of Dresden, Smart Rail Connectivity Campus (SRCC) and Verkehrsverbund Mittelsachsen (VMS).
The TracFeed® BCS 1550 charging substation, which was constructed and provided by RPS and F&S and can be transported on road, was previously put into operation at Alstom’s plant in Salzgitter and successfully tested there with accumulator-powered traction units of type Coradia, which are intended to be used on the Leipzig – Chemnitz line. The charging substation provides a charging voltage of AC 15 kV 50 Hz and, in this way, does without frequency conversion. The 16,7-Hz vehicles have been upgraded for operation at 50 Hz. Adaptions to the control software were required for this purpose. A balancing converter ensures the symmetrical loading of the supply network in the substation. The 50 Hz technology of the charging substation combines the benefits of purely passive solutions with those of solutions with frequency converters.
The installation in Annaberg-Buchholz was set up within three days. In addition to the charging substation, this includes the construction of an overhead conductor rail section (Tracfeed® OSS) for charging the vehicles at a standstill at platform 2 including all ancillary systems required for this purpose. It is therefore the first charging station for BRMU of electrified lines in the DB infrastructure. No interruption of the scheduled railway operations was necessary to construct the installation.
It took a total of four days to disassemble the charging substation in Salzgitter and set up the charging station in Annaberg-Buchholz, including transport. This proves that this technical solution can be set up or also transferred in a minimum amount of time without affecting railway operations. The Federal Railway Authority has approved the test operation of the installation.
The measurements already conducted with the Coradia traction unit under railway conditions in Salzgitter will be repeated for August/September 2023. Furthermore, tests are planned with vehicles of other manufacturers. If the tests are successful, a through connection of individual trains of the Leipzig – Chemnitz line is planned up to Annaberg-Buchholz Süd. The vehicles will receive the energy required for the return trip there.