Does snow affect the high-speed rail?

Snowy days will affect the high-speed rail.

Under normal circumstances, light snow and medium snow have little effect on high-speed rail. In case of heavy snow or snowstorm, the catenary, turnout and other facilities of high-speed rail may be frozen by snow, affecting power supply and train operation. The high-speed rail is fast, and the chance of accidents will increase due to the rain and snow. Especially the current high-speed rail is powered by the power grid. Compared with the traction power of diesel locomotives in the past, it should be said that the probability of being affected by weather such as snow, rain and smog is not smaller, but greater.

The impact on the line is that light snow will reduce the adhesion of the track, heavy snow will cover the track and make it impassable, the catenary will freeze and the pantograph will not work normally. The impact on vehicles is that the visibility of snow decreases, the low temperature affects the normal operation of EMU electrical equipment, and the machine damage rate increases, so not all types of EMUs are suitable for running in Northeast China.

influencing factor

Heavy rain also has an impact on the safety of high-speed rail operation. It is not uncommon that the speed limit or shutdown of bullet trains and high-speed trains is caused by weather. The train outage is related to the rainstorm weather in China. Weather processes such as thunder and lightning and strong winds often bring tests to the normal operation of trains. Rain will not cause the EMU to stop. EMU trains will stop running only when there are severe weather such as thunderstorms and strong winds that may damage railway facilities and equipment.

Compared with aviation, waterway and highway traffic, railway traffic is indeed the least affected by the weather, but to ensure the safety of high-speed high-speed rail and bullet trains, the weather factor can not be ignored. Severe weather such as strong wind, thunder and lightning, rainstorm and flood, hail, snow and fog, and extreme high temperature and low temperature weather may have an impact on the operation of high-speed rail, motor trains and their subgrade, bridges, power grids and other facilities.