A self-healing smart grid for Railway Signalling Network

Signet is our advanced automated reconfigurable signalling power system that allows rail operators to maintain supply continuity during extreme fault conditions.

Alongside Network Rail, our Technical Consultant Dr Sook Yen Lau has explored how Signet is bridging the gap for the railway sector as a self-healing smart grid tailored for UK railway signalling.

Abstract - The development of smart grids has primarily focused on power grid infrastructure, aiming to rapidly restore service after power outages, whereas progress in railway applications remains limited. This paper presents a self-healing smart grid in optimising the UK railway signalling network. It employs a unique protection scheme to detect faults, disconnect the faulted section safely, and restore power rapidly, leading to substantial reductions in train delays or cancellations. Case study results have demonstrated its effectiveness in automatically detecting and isolating a cable fault caused by an attempted cable theft. The damaged section was safely isolated and power service was rapidly restored to the unaffected part of the signalling system.