Analysis of the Impact of Atmospheric Overvoltage on Railway Automation and Remote Control Devices

: This paper presents the findings from an analysis of thunderstorm activity on the Oktyabrskaya Railway, focusing on signalling, centralization, blocking distances, and infrastructure distances, for the period from 2014 to 2024. The analysis investigates the distribution of failures of railway automation and remote control devices, alongside incidents of damaged overvoltage protection equipment. The analysis identifies the distances with the most inadequate atmospheric overvoltage protection and explores the factors contributing to this issue. A thorough examination of the distribution of failures of railway automation and remote control devices has been conducted, categorizing them by system and presenting them on a monthly basis throughout the thunderstorm season. The assessment included the distribution of damaged devices and protective equipment, organised by equipment type and nature of the malfunction, ultimately identifying the devices most vulnerable to damage. For a more detailed and objective analysis, it is proposed to consider additional indicators such as the relative thunderstorm hazard indicator and the relative failure hazard indicator.