The Electrification of Melbourne’s Suburban Railway Network
“Photo Album: Electrification Scheme”
VPRS 12397/P1 – Unit 1, Image of Six Car Standard Train
In 1919 the first Suburban Electric Train Services started in Melbourne. At the time Melbourne was the largest city in Australia, and was the first to electrify its Train Services. By 1923 most of the Suburban Train Services were operated by Electric Trains. It was an immediate success, with patronage soaring as a result of the quicker travel times and increased services which had all been achieved at a reduced cost.
This was the conclusion of a large investment by the Victorian Railways into the new Electric Traction Technology which was to replace the Steam Train Passenger Services of the time. The Electrification Scheme adopted was from the recommendations of a Report in 1912 which had been noted by a UK Electrical Engineer by the name of Charles Merz. The Scheme was to be the first application of 1,500 V DC using overhead current collection in the World at the time, and boasted the largest Power Station in the Southern Hemisphere. http://prov.vic.gov.au/blog-news/showcase-record-april-2014
Now imagine those powerlines gone (maintenance cost and energy loss over distance) and replaced by lithium trains: The Train of the Future Might Be Battery-Powered
