Flood-damaged Pallion substation fire closes Sunderland Metro line for weeks

What happened

Storms in November damaged the Pallion substation in Sunderland, which supplies power to the overhead lines of the Tyne and Wear Metro. Flooding led to a fire, and the substation, which takes power from the National Grid and transforms it to a lower voltage for the overhead wires, was no longer safe to use. Services between Park Lane and South Hylton were suspended for about eight weeks, with rail replacement buses running on the route.

Network Rail engineers removed the damaged equipment and rebuilt the substation, fitting around 1.3 miles of new cables that feed the overhead power lines and rewiring the equipment that monitors the overhead wires, followed by a programme of testing. Repairs were completed on 12 January 2023. The line reopened on 13 January 2023, after an obstruction on the overhead line was cleared that morning. The source gives the month of the storm but not the year, which is inferred from the reopening date.

Contributing factors

Storm-driven flooding severely damaged the substation, and the mix of water and electricity started a fire. The source does not say how the water entered the building or whether flood defences were in place.

Lessons learned

1. Traction power substations should be assessed for flood risk, with equipment raised above likely flood levels or sealed against water ingress.
2. Operators should plan for a full rebuild, not only a repair, where water and fire damage affect control and monitoring equipment.
3. Clear and regular updates to passengers and local businesses help manage the impact of a long line closure.

More lessons on weather and external hazards, detection and monitoring, from every incident on the register.

Source

chroniclelive.co.uk