Reconstruction of 3 substations – Kuragino, Mana and Kravchenko – has been completed in Krasnoyarsk Region on the Mezhdurechensk – Tayshet section of the Eastern test site which connects Western and Eastern Siberia. The engineering facilities were modernized as a part of the project included in Yenisey Siberia CIP and aimed at increasing the capacity of the Artyshta – Mezhdurechensk – Tayshet section.
Traction substations supply power for the most difficult spans of the line in the Eastern Sayans. In their service area there are mountain pass sections of the railroad with a large number of ascents and descents and 9 railway tunnels.
During the modernization, the substations were practically built anew. The builders installed new electrical equipment manufactured in Russia, mounted powerful transformers, microprocessor protection devices and dispatch control facilities, which makes it possible to control the power facilities remotely.
The renewal of the power system is part of a comprehensive program to increase the throughput and carrying capacity of the Mezhdurechensk – Tayshet line, which is maximally involved in the cargo flows from Kuzbass, Khakassia, Krasnoyarsk Region to the border crossings and ports of the Far East. The project is being implemented simultaneously with the construction of new second main tracks on single-track stages. The strengthening of traction power supply makes it possible to use powerful mainline freight electric locomotives designed for driving super-heavy-weight trains on this harsh section.
Together with the development of the track infrastructure, this creates conditions for increasing the heavy traffic of trains weighing 7,100 tons or more (previously the maximum permissible weight was 6,030 tons) and reducing the succession time – from 20 to 8 minutes.
The modernized substations connect the Mezhdurechensk-Tayshet section with the Unified Energy System of Russia, which not only guarantees the reliability of power supply to the mountain stages of the railway, but also allows the transit of electrical energy to the settlements of Partizanskoye and Kuragino Districts of Krasnoyarsk Region.