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Alternative energy sources, mostly related to “green” energy, are one of the promising trends in the development of energy generation, including for the global railway sector. This is due, firstly, to its desire to preserve its environmental advantages by reducing carbon dioxide emissions into the environment and increasing energy efficiency, and secondly, to a reduction in the use of such sources as oil and coal as fuel resources in the coming decades.In a world where 95 % of motorized vehicles use oil as fuel, the greenhouse gas emissions per passenger-kilometer for rail transport are five times less than for road transport and 20 times less than for air transport. Therefore, one of the key tasks in the development of railway transport is the creation of high-speed highways that will serve as an alternative to road and air communications over short distances.In addition to the well-known alternative energy technologies, the railway transport traditionally conducts scientific research to improve energy-saving technologies, which include the use of excess recuperation energy when rolling stock braking.Also, projects for the use of renewable energy sources — heat pump installations — have proved their effectiveness in railway transport: heating switches from the ground, use of heat from compressors of hill complexes to heat electrical centralization posts and heat transformers of traction substations for its own needs.The role of alternative energy sources in railway transport is constantly growing. The efficiency of using alternative energy sources at the Russian Railways is largely determined by a scientific approach that allows, based on own experience or experience in introducing innovations in related industries, to determine the place, time and degree of their implementation, taking into account technical and technological features of production processes inherent in a particular structural unit companies. Among the innovative technical solutions in railway transport, the most priority ones are solutions aimed at the development of high-speed lines, recuperation systems, as well as heat pump technologies.

Abstract. High-speed railways are fast-growing and promising type of traffic. In Russia development of high-speed railway service is associated with the solution of a number of problems, including infrastructure. Authors propose to use earth connection of the railway catenary with the help of an artificial earthing switch on currently designed high-speed line Moscow—Kazan for 2×25 kV power supply system. Taking into account requirements for electrical safety conditions for maintenance of the track and earthed catenary supports, paper justifies method for calculating allowable voltages of rail—earth points and supports of catenary. Methods takes into account structural features of ballastless track superstructure used for high-speed lines. It is estimated that the voltages admissible under the electrical safety conditions are random in nature and distributed logarithmically normal. When calculating probability of safe operation, one should take into account random nature of both permissible stresses and those actually occurring on the track. It is estimated that the probability of safe operation in traction networks of sections with ballastless track superstructure does not exceed a similar value in electrified sections with the conventional structure of a ballast prism. Feasibility of using a 2×25 kV earth system using an artificial earth connection is confirmed, recommendations on its use are given. Authors substantiate allowable values of the rail—earth voltage and catenary supports, which practically exclude the occurrence of hazardous situations for personnel maintaining the track in sections with ballastless track superstructure.