Wuxi, China, Completes Safe Dismantling of Critical Power Line Spanning High-Speed Rail

Recently, under extreme weather conditions and stringent time constraints, State Grid Wuxi Power Supply Company successfully completed the dismantling of a retired high-voltage power line that spanned two major railway arteries. The project demonstrated remarkable efficiency in coordination and precision in execution.

The objective of the operation was to remove an outdated 35-kilovolt power line crossing both the Shanghai-Nanjing Intercity High-Speed Railway and the Beijing-Shanghai Railway. As these two railways serve as vital transportation corridors in eastern China with dense daily train traffic, securing a feasible construction window was extremely challenging. After multiple rounds of in-depth negotiations with railway authorities, the project team finally obtained the necessary permission for overnight work.

The most significant challenge came from intense time pressure. The railway power supply system could only offer very brief daily power outage windows for maintenance. To tackle this, workers meticulously divided the entire dismantling process into four phases, all scheduled for late-night hours. Following months of on-site surveys and procedural rehearsals in advance, they optimized the process to remove a single conductor in approximately eight minutes. This allowed them to safely complete assigned tasks within each tight 20-minute "maintenance window."

The construction period coincided with a local cold snap, with sleet occurring during the final two nights. The project team equipped staff working at heights with sufficient cold-weather gear and implemented strict safety controls throughout, ensuring both operational safety and personnel health in the harsh conditions.

After four consecutive nights of intense effort, all conductors were safely removed and lowered to the ground without any impact on normal railway operations.