Transit agencies use electrical traction (overhead catenary or third rail)—which is typically designed using high alternating-current or direct-current voltages—for the propulsion of trains. The running rails are used as part of the system to return negative power to substations. Insulated joints (IJs) are trackwork components installed in the rails to provide train control circuits and traction power segment separation between blocks.
TCRP Research Report 255: Investigation and Mitigation of Insulated Joint Electrical Failure: A Guide, from TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program, provides information on how to identify arcing at IJs, methods to diagnose the contributing factors, underlying causes, strategies for investigating IJ failures, and examples of how others have mitigated arcing.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2025. Investigation and Mitigation of Insulated Joint Electrical Failure: A Guide. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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