Planning HT Line Crossings &

Electrical Infrastructure
(Overhead and Underground)
 Type of crossings- Overhead, Underground.
 Upto & including 11 kV – Underground cables. Above 11 kV
optional.
 Regulations for Power line crossings of Railway tracks was issued
by Railway Board in 1987 (A.C. Traction Manual Volume-II, Part-II,
Appendix-IV).

 The main issues covered in A.C. Traction Manual are as follows:

 Scope- Crossings involving Railway tracks, Railway companies,
Port Commissioner Railways, assisted & Private sidings.
 The regulations do not apply to crossings of Railway tracks laid
inside tunnels.
 The regulations do not apply to Railway traction systems (1500 V
DC & 25 kV, 50 Hz AC, Single Phase) whose
feeders/conductors/wires run along or across the tracks for
traction purposes.
 Whenever new 25 kV AC electrification is done & overhead crossing is
already existing, the OHE should be designed to maintain requisite
electrical clearance between top of OHE & bottom of transmission
line conductor. Modification to transmission line should be the last
resort.
 Cases requiring approval by SEB (where crossing is already existing &
track or railway electrification comes subsequently & crossing needs
modification):-
 Requisition by Railway to the owner of the crossing for modification in
the overhead crossing.
 Owner prepares an estimate of work for modification.
 The estimate is then submitted by the nodal officer of railway
(Sr.DEE/G) for Finance vetting.
 After finance vetting, the estimated amount is submitted by the
railway to the party.
 After submission of fee, the owner (SEB) submits the proposal to the
nodal officer (Sr.DEE/G) for approval of modified designs, calculations,
drawings & method of execution of work for approval of concerned
railway Deptt.
 Approval by Railway –
 Required before commencing work. Owner shall submit designs,
calculations, drawings & method of execution of work in
Annexure-A.4.01.
 The proposed has to comply with Indian Electricity Act, 1910;
Indian Railways Act, 1890, IRSOD along with latest modifications &
amendments.
 The crossing should comply with requirements of communication lines
of Indian Post & Telegraphs Deptt. The reference document is ‘Code of
Practice for the Protection of Telecommunication lines at crossings
with overhead power lines other than Electric Traction Circuits, issued
by CEA, Telecommunication Directorate, Power & Telecommunication
Coordination Committee. (PTCC unit), Govt. of India, New Delhi’.
 Angle of Crossing - An overhead line crossing shall normally be
at right angles to the Railway track. In special cases a deviation of
upto 30 degree may be permitted.
 Structure –
• Steel poles/masts fabricated steel structures or reinforced or
pre-stressed concrete poles either of the self supporting or
guyed type confirming in all respect to the Indian Electricity
Rules, 1956 & complying with the latest codes of practice
shall be used on either side of track to support the crossing
span.
• Wind loads as detailed in the latest edition of IS:802 (Part 1)-
1977 shall be adopted.
• Steel structures galvanized in accordance with IS:2629-1966.
• Minimum Horizontal Distance of Structures:
For New Structure H+6
For existing rigid well 3m or 1.5 m away from the
founded post/structures toe of embankment/top of
cutting, whichever is more

Ref: ACS no. 20 to IRSOD 2004, dt. 17.07.17

• Factor of Safety - The factor of safety of all structures,
conductors, guards, guys & ground wires used in crossing
shall be as stipulated in the Indian Electricity Rules, 1956.
  Required Clearance between the overhead line & Railway track:
SN Overhead crossing Min. clearance from rail level Min. clearance to be
voltage Existing power New Power line maintained between
line crossing for crossing or highest traction
Non-Electrified Crossing conductor & lowest
Territory planned for transmission line
alteration crossing conductor
At Mid Span
1 Upto & including 11 kV Normally by Underground Cable
2 Above 11 kV & upto 33 kV 10860 14660 2440

3 Above 33 kV & upto 66 kV 11160 14960 2440

4 Above 66 kV & upto 132 kV 11760 15560 3050

5 Above 132 kV & upto 220 12660 16460 4580

kV
6 Above 220 kV & upto 400 14460 18260 5490
kV
7 Above 400 kV & upto 500 15360 19160 7940
kV
8 Above 500 kV & upto 800 18060 21860 7940
kV

Ref: ACS20 of IRSOD dt. 17.07.17

 If the crossing is provided with a guarding, a minimum clearance
of 2000 mm is required between bottom of the guard wire &
highest traction conductor. Guarding is must for voltages upto 33
kV. For voltages in the range (33 kV – 220 kV), total tripping time
≤ 200 msec & for voltages > 220 kV, total tripping time ≤ 100
msec.
 Power line crossings in yards & station area shall be avoided.
 Insulators – In crossing spans double set of strain insulator strings
shall be used. Each string of such strain insulators shall have one
insulator more than used in normal span. The factor of safety of
each string of insulators under the worst conditions shall not be
less than 2.
 Anti-Climbing Devices to be provided where voltage > 650 Volts.
 Protection from moving road vehicles – wherever required, provide
guard rails suitably painted.
 Earthing– Each structure on either side of the crossing span
supporting the transmission/distribution line conductors shall be
earthed effectively by two separate and distinct earths and
connections.
 Wherever Earth resistance of independent tower/structure> 10
ohms, provide multiple earth electrodes, or suitable treat the soil
surrounding the earth electrode.
 The cross section of earth conductor should be chosen so that it is
not damaged while carrying short circuit current.
 Type of Cables – The owner shall specify & obtain prior approval
of the Railway for the type of cable he/she intends to use for
crossing. Preferably armoured.
 The armour & sheathing of cables to be earthed at both ends. The
scheme & method of earthing shall specifically be approved by the
Railway.
 Use of cast iron or spun concrete pipe for laying of cable is
obligatory. Specification of the Pipes to be used for cable laying to
be approved from the Railway.
 It should be possible to withdraw the cables for repairs or
replacement without disturbing the track or formation.
 Pipes shall be laid with gradient to facilitate drainage of water.
 Online application has to be filed by the Party.
 Pipes shall be laid with gradient to facilitate drainage of water.
 After approval from Railway, agreement as per Annexure-
A4.02. Same have been incorporated in the draft agreement
placed on http://ircep.gov.in/WLRMS.
 Practices followed earlier by Railways
◦ Earlier Off-line system was being followed for granting of
permission to overhead & underground power line crossings.

◦ Party needed to submit application to concerned Divisional

office along with the required documents.

◦ In absence of any specific timelines & amount for the work, the
time for granting of work varied from 3 months to upto taking
more than a year.

◦ The charges varied from Railway to Railway.

 For system transparency & streamlining the process for granting
permission to overhead and underground power line crossings through
the Railway tracks, a Joint Procedure Order (JPO) was issued with the
approval of Railway Board (MTR, ME, MT & FC) on 30.01.17.
 Way Leave Charges – Sr. DEN© after having received the application
from Sr.DEE/G will make the estimate for way leave charges as per the
Board’s guidelines, which were issued vide letter no. 2013/LML-
1/24/41 dt. 30.07.14. According to this for electrical crossings, if the
owner is Govt. agency (Central or State), one time recovery of Rs.
12,800/- shall be made by Railway with way leave agreement for 35
years which can be further renewed for another 35 years.
 Railway has further developed an online portal for registration and
tracking of application. http://www.ircep.gov.in/WLRMS.
 Status of application can be tracked.

 As per the JPO, One hour block per year shall be granted (without levy
of charges) for regular maintenance of crossings.
 Regular meeting on monthly basis to be held with the Nodal Officer
(Sr.DEE/G of Division).
•Select the link for Online application
 Fill in the details for transmission line crossing
Main points in Annexure A 4-02 (Agreement for over head crossing)
 Drawing approved by the Railway.
 All repairs to be executed from time to time in accordance with
approved drawing & to the satisfaction of the Railway. Cost, if
any, to be borne by the owner.
 Owner, his/her employees can not enter Railway land without
Railway’s consent in writing.
 Agreement can be terminated by Railway by giving 3 months
notice. The owner shall not be entitled to any damages or
compensation as a result of this termination.
 Owner can also terminate the agreement by giving one month
notice.
 The owner can not sublet or transfer the agreement.
Similarly Annexure A 4.03 gives the agreement for the cable
crossing below the track.
 Construction – Owner to notify 15 days in advance. During
construction, Railway can inspect the site. Railway can also opt for
direct supervision.
 If any alteration is required to a Railway structure due to
construction or maintenance of crossing, the same shall be done
under Railway’s direct supervision. Materials approved by Railway
to be used. Cost to be borne by owner of the crossing.
 Marking of Crossings by two cast iron cable markers containing
the following information:-

ELECTRIC CABLE -Volts

NUMBER -Cables
DANGER -In English, Hindi and the
vernacular of the district.
DEPTH OF CABLE -Below track level.
DEPTH OF CABLE -Below ground level
between the toe of bank
and Railway fencing.
 Prior to bringing the crossing into use, the owner shall:
 Notify the Railway in writing atleast 15 days in advance.
 Submit a CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE, that work has been
done in compliance with the regulations & in conformity with
the design(s) & drawing(s) approved by Railway.
 Maintenance of crossing –
 The crossing shall be inspected by the owner at interval not
exceeding 12 months. Defects, if any, shall be rectified by the
owner. Defects, if any, noticed by the Railway shall have to be
rectified by the owner expeditiously.
 The crossing span & two adjacent spans to be kept free by the
owner from any trees & branches.
 The galvanized steel structures supporting the crossing span
shall always be free from rust & corrosion.
 Earths to be inspected & tested annually on a hot dry day by
the owner. Results to be furnished to Railway for verification &
record. If earth resistance is > 10 ohms, take corrective action.
 Cont…
 Shifting of the Crossing –
 If based on Railway’s requirement, the crossing is to be
shifted/modified/dismantled, the work shall be carried out by
the owner at the cost of the Railway.
 Railways shall have the right to claim compensation for any
loss & /or inconvenience caused if there is avoidable delay in
completing the works.
 Defects & Failures –
 Any defect like snapping of conductor, breaking of insulator
shall be reported to station master on duty at the Railway
station on both sides of the crossing, CEE, DRM(Elect.), EIG,
Director Transmission CEA.
 In case of accident to Railway’s track/Rolling stock in the
vicinity of crossing, Railway reserves the right to ask the owner
to immediately switch off the transmission line & connect to
earth.
 To minimize the human interventions it was suggested that
following modifications/upgradation on web portal shall be
required: -
◦ Uploading of all the required documents through web portal.

◦ Online facility for withdrawal of application by the state utilities.

◦ Online uploading of revised drawings/documents.

◦ Facility for generation of user ID and password by the user itself,

once the application number is generated by the web portal.

 Accordingly, to cover detailed requirement, case has been moved for

designing & launch of new application covering detailed
requirements.
Thanks
 Online Application by the Party. Ref. no. will be
generated

Submission of Application (hard copy) with all

details to Sr. DEE(G)-Nodal Officer (D)

After scrutiny, application forwarded to Engg. for preparation of

way leave charges & also to Sr.DEE/Tr.D for comments (D+3)

Sr.DEN/C gives way leave charges + Sr.DEE/Tr.D gives his

comments (D+10)

Sr.DEE/G to prepare estimate for Power & Traffic block charges

@ Rs. 5 Lakhs/hr. & sends for Finance vetting. For U/G crossing
party to deposit Rs. 5 lakh SD also (D+13)

Divisional Finance vetting (D+18)

 Approval of ADRM/DRM (D+25)

Intimation to Party to deposit the Fee (D+28)

Party to deposit the fee in next 15 days (D+43)

Signing of Agreement between party & Railway

(D+50)

Grant of permission to party to execute the work

within 2 weeks (D+64)
Overhead Line Crossings
 Location of the proposed crossing, names of the Railway stations on
both sides, distance from the nearest Railway station, the painted
number of telegraph poles or OHE masts where the crossing is
proposed.
 Alignment of the crossing should preferably be in the mid point of OHE
span.
 Particulars of overhead line including voltage, frequency, number of
phases, size of conductors etc. and whether the neutral is earthed or not
and if earthed, the type of earthing.
 Wind pressure adopted.
 Temperature data adopted.
 Particulars of ice/snow loading, if any, adopted.
 Factors of safety adopted in the designs, for conductors, structures,
guard wires/cross wires if provided, earth-wire, stay wire, insulator-
strings, etc.
 Design calculations of structures and foundations for the crossing span,
communication lines or guarding, if any.
 Calculations leading to the minimum values under worst conditions
of the following:
 Vertical clearance between the lowest crossing conductor,
communication lines and/or guarding and the different Railway
tracks in the crossing span.
 Vertical clearance between the lowest crossing conductor,
Communication lines and/or guarding and Railway’s conductors
of the traction system or other conductors if any.
 Horizontal clearance to Railway mast/structure/building, if any.

 Lateral clearance to the nearest Railway mast/structure/building,

if any.
Note:- Full particulars of the number, size, material and
characteristics of various wires and conductors shall be furnished.
 Particulars of insulators, bridling of the conductors.
 Details of guarding, size of guard and cross wires and their
characteristics, A (detailed drawing showing the guarding
arrangement, if provided, shall be given).
 Size and characteristics of guy wire, if provided, and the number
of supports.
 Details of earthing indicating the earth electrode, size of earthing
connection, method of connection to the support and the method of
artificial soil treatment if proposed, Details of counterpoise earthing,
if contemplated, shall be furnished.
 Details of protection against moving road vehicles.
 Particulars of anti-climbing devices, if provided, and warning and
caution notices.
 Detailed scheme of protection for the transmission/distribution line
including particulars of relays, operation times etc. and particulars of
circuit breakers, if any.

Drawing
 Layout and site plan of the proposed crossing indicating Railways
boundaries.
 Longitudinal elevation of the crossing. The drawing shall indicate full
particulars of one span on either side of the crossing span with
various clearances with respect to the Railway track(s). The drawing
shall show the cross-section of the Railway formation and tracks.
 Drawing for warning and caution notices.
a) Data and designs:
 Locations of the proposed cable crossing, the names of the Railway
stations on either side of the crossing, the distance of the crossing from
the nearest Railway station, the painted numbers of telegraph poles or
traction.
 Mast or structures between which the crossing is proposed to be located
and the exact location in relation to such poles or masts or structures.
 Supply system particulars, particulars of cables, their number, size and
number of cores, voltage, type of insulation, armouring etc.
 Full particulars of the protective pipe for the crossing.
 Method of earthing of the cable armouring and sheathing, if any.
 Method of making the cable crossing for identification.
 Design calculation for masts/structures for supporting and terminating
cable(s), and drawings to show that the masts/structures would not foul
the Railway track(s) in the event of their failure in so far as movement of
Railway vehicles is concerned.
b) Drawings
 Layout and site plan including route, location of structures, if any,
for supporting and terminating the cable and Railways boundaries.
Note: Earths in the vicinity (upto 100m all round) of the crossing shall
be distinctly indicated.
 Drawing Showing cable/crossing marker.