This article is about the transmission of electrical power to public transport vehicles. For transmission of bulk electrical power to general consumers, see Electric power transmission. For powerlines mounted on pylons, see overhead power line.
The outdoor overhead lines of a Swiss Federal Railways track.Overhead conductor rails inside a building.
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point. This may be abbreviated to OHL or OHLE for OverHead Line Equipment.