Rolling stock/Supplementary information and regulations/Appendix/Guideline on vehicle protection against electrical hazards to third party climbing

This guideline is published as an informative appendix to Bane NORs Rolling stock/Supplementary information and regulations clause 8.5 on Protection against electrical hazards including earthing.

1 Objective

The objective of these guidelines is to facilitate safe and flexible storaging of vehicles under live overhead contact line. Fulfilling the guidelines in vehicle design is optional, but will result in simplified procedures for storaging in as many storage sidings as possible. The alternative is storaging limited to tracks that are not electrified, un-energized, surrounded by a protected fence or supervised.

2 Background

Storaging (parking or stabling) of vehicles is an service facility accordning to DIRECTIVE 2012/34/EU (Jernbaneforskriften §4-2). Pre-heating of passanger trains is an additional service.

The protection against electrical hazards is according to the Norwegian national regulation on electrical supply installations (FEF §1-3) the responsibility of the owner of the high voltage supply. Bane NOR as infrastructure manager is the owner of the overhead contact line. The main focus is to avoid electric chock to children and other persons not understanding risks in the society. However, the barriers are considered effective also against most other trespassers. The total risk is combination of the protection level of the track and the vehicle. The guideline is based on a risk evaluation regarding third party's climbing on rail vehicles having barriers illustrated in Figur 1.

Figur 1: Bowtie diagram showing the threath of a person violating barriers when approaching a vehicle, standing next to it and making the hazardious decision to climb it, and the barriers that reduces the effects of that decision in order to avoid an electrial chock.

Electrical hazard is considered acceptable when a vehicle is stored under the following conditions:

• Non-electrified tracks without overhead contact line
• Electrified tracks with unenergized overhead contact line
• Electrified tracks with energized overhead contact line protected by a surrounding fence
• Electrified tracks with energized overhead contact line with contineous supervision
• Electrified tracks with energized overhead contact line for vehicles where it is considered difficult to approach within the electrical clearence of the high-voltage live parts. See below conditions on how to consider sufficient electrical safety for third party's climbing on vehicles.

3 Conditions

a) Vehicle protection against electrical hazards: Vehicles that do comply with the conditions of b) clearence, c) anti-trespassing guard and d) warning label below may be stored under live overhead contact line without a surrounding fence.

1. Exception: Contineously supervision around the vehicle may be used as a barrier if no other barriers are possible.
2. Assessment: Vehicles which has not yet got their protection against electrical hazards considered, shall be treated as if the vehicle has insufficient protection.
3. Assessment: The assessment of the vehicle's protection level according to the conditions are done by Bane NOR's nominated person in control of the electrical installation (EN 50110).

The following definitions are used:

• Live part: Conductor or conductive part intended to be energised in normal use. By convention this does not include the running rails and parts connected to them. (EN 50122-1)
• Standing surface: Any point on a sufrace where persons may stand og walk about without great effort. (EN 50122-1)
• Anti-trespassing guard: Equipment provided to deter entry to a restricted area, structure or building by an unauthorized person. (EN 50122-1)
• Holds and supports:
  • Foothold: Element for a foot that obviously facilitates climbing and that holds a person's weight of 75 kg.
  • Handgrip: Element that obviously facilitates climbing by being grip around and that holds a person's weight of 75 kg.

The following distances are used:

• 1.80 m required height of fence (EN 61936)
• 1.65 m shoulder height (ISO 13857)
• 0.85 m arm length (ISO 13857)
• 1.00 m leg length ()
• 2.50 m shoulder height plus arm length
• 0.25 m electrical clearence (EN 50122-1, rounded up from 0.23 m in EN 50124)
• 2.75 m minimum clearence between standing surface and live part in restricted area (EN 50122-1)
• 3.5 m minimum clearence between standing surface and live part in public area (EN 50122-1)

b) Vehicle clearence: It shall be difficult to reach within the electrical clearence (0.25 m) of the high-voltage live parts of the contact line and the rail vehicle.

1. Design: Minimum distance from standing surface on the vehicle to live part shall be 3.5 m (despite that vehicle outside is restricted area according to the Norwegian national law for railway, Jernbaneloven §9).
2. Design: Minimum distance from foothold on the vehicle to live part shall be 2.75 m measured in a stright line divided by a reasonable angle between 1.85 and 0.65 m (like an arm out from a shoulder)
3. Exception: Access to standing surfaces or footholds outside on the vehicle (e.g. vehicle roof) shall be prevented, see condition on obstacle below.

Figur 2 shows distance from normal overhead contact wire height to typical standing surfaces, holds and supports on vehicle outside.

Figur 2: Typical distance from standing surface, holds and supports to live part of contact line at normal contact wire height 5.6 m. Typical standing surfaces are buffers, coupling and entrance to drivers cab. Typical holds and supports are handles, lights, mirrors, cables etc.

c) Vehicle anti-trespassing guard: It shall be difficult (for the public) to access standing surfaces (inclusive vehicle roof) and footholds on vehicle outside that are closer to live parts of the contact line and the rail vehicle than 2.75 m.

1. Design: The vehicle shall not offer a continuous climbing route of holds and supports that hold a person's weight and is placed such that a special coordination of arms and legs or special strength is not required to reach within the electrical clearence (0.25 m) of the high-voltage live parts.
2. Design: Handles, lights, mirrors, cables etc should be designs such that they cannot serve as holds and supports for climbing.
3. Assessment: It is difficult to climb when there is mainly a vertical distance more than
   • 1.8 m between two standing surfaces without intermediate holds and supports that obviously simplify climbing, e.g. by having a hidden, built in or inclined top.
   • 1.65 m between footholds and standing surface (e.g. vehicle roof) and minimum 0.85 m to a handgrip on the standing surface (that allows a person to pull himself up) or other elements making it difficult to jump.
   • 1.0 m mainly vertically between footholds and there is no handgrips between 1.65 and 2.5 m from the standing surface or base foothold.
4. Assessment: It is the consideration of the total climbing difficulty that is important, and the given distances above should be adapted if they are combined or other conditions influences, both on the vehicle itself (e.g. railings, inclination, friction, two vehicles coupled together) or immediate surroundings (e.g. platform, curve, ramp).

Figur 3 shows examples on when it is difficult to climb, cf. the assessments above.

Figur 3: Examples on when it is difficult to climb.

d) Vehicle warning label: Access to elevated vehicle standing surfaces, from which live parts of a contact line system can be reached, shall be marked by means of warning labels.

1. Design: Warning labels shall comply with EN 50153.
2. Design: Warning labels shall also be located where there is doubt if the anti-threspassing condition is fullfilled.

4 Additional information

Any live parts energized by the vehicle itself, e.g. as result from shore supply to the 1000 V or 400 V train line, is under the responsibility of the owner or user of the vehicle.