An Integrated High-Speed Railway Electrification Framework for Reducing Embodied Carbon

High-speed railways (HSR) have emerged as a promising mode of sustainable transportation, requiring comprehensive simulations throughout the project electrification process. However, the development of an integrated framework for HSR electrification that focuses on reducing embodied carbon remains a notable gap. This paper proposes an integrated framework for HSR electrification, compliant with the European standard for railway applications (EN 50388:2012), which aims to advance sustainable HSR network development. The proposal first designs the power supply installations based on critical HSR schedules. It is followed by optimizing the traction power supply systems (TPSS) design for the economically viable placement of auto-transformers and traction substations (TSS) using the interior point method. The feasibility of TPSS is then assessed using the fundamentals of traction load flow study. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is demonstrated on a real track in India, showing significant embodied carbon reduction in TPSS design, equivalent to eliminating one TSS.