Busway is a modular electrical distribution system designed to deliver power efficiently through a centralized overhead track. Instead of running conduit and cable every time a new circuit is needed, busway allows power to be tapped anywhere along the run — making it faster to install, easier to modify, and far more scalable for growing facilities.
This guide explains the fundamentals of busway as a category, the different types of busway used in industry, and where Track Busway fits into the picture as a modern, open-slot plug-in approach built for today’s industrial and commercial environments.
Busway simplifies design, reduces installation labor, and supports long-term adaptability. Whether used as a building backbone (feeder busway), a sliding power system (trolley), a fixed-window legacy solution, or a fully flexible open-slot system, busway offers engineers a safer and more modular alternative to traditional conduit.
Traditional pipe-and-wire systems require cutting conduit, pulling wire, installing junction boxes, and making permanent splices — all of which increase labor and limit future flexibility. Busway eliminates these steps by providing a modular distribution spine where power can be added or moved without reworking conduit. As facilities adopt more automation and reconfigurable production lines, busway has become the preferred method for overhead power distribution.
Busway is a modular electrical distribution system that uses enclosed or open conductors to deliver power throughout a facility. Unlike pipe-and-wire conduit systems, which must be cut, bent, and re-pulled every time a layout changes, busway provides a reusable backbone for delivering power along rows, grids, or full building spans.
Modern busway systems range from high-ampacity feeder bus duct used for long-distance distribution, to plug-in busway used for branch-circuit access, to open-slot track busway for flexible, tool-free plug-and-play power. Each serves a different role in a facility’s electrical infrastructure.
Across the industry, busway appears in several forms. Each type is optimized for different electrical needs, from carrying large amounts of power through a building to allowing plug-in access along work areas. The sections below explain the four major categories engineers encounter in commercial and industrial design.
Feeder busway is a high-ampacity, sandwich-style bus duct used as the electrical backbone from switchgear to risers, PDUs, or RPPs — typically in the 600A–6000A range. It carries large amounts of power over long distances, but it is not designed for frequent plug-ins or layout changes.
Trolley Busway systems earned their reputation by solving a straightforward problem — how to slide power along a run. Each section uses an enclosed busbar and sliding trolley carriers that reposition power drops along the track.
However, trolley systems are limited to straight, single-row layouts. Modern commercial and industrial environments require interconnected layouts — capabilities provided by modern open-slot busway systems
Legacy plug-in busway uses fixed rectangular tap windows spaced at predetermined intervals. Plug-in units must align exactly to those factory-cut openings, which limits device placement and reduces adaptability. These systems remain common in older facilities and light-industrial applications, but modern open-slot busway provides far greater flexibility for evolving layouts.
Track Busway builds on the plug-in concept with a continuous open slot. Unlike older systems, it allows power, lighting, and data drops almost anywhere along the run—ideal for reconfigurable environments like labs, automation, or high-mix production.
Open-slot track busway is the modern evolution of plug-in distribution. Instead of fixed tap windows, the system provides continuous access along the entire length. Devices can be added or repositioned anywhere without tools, rewiring, or downtime. Because of its scalability, safety compliance, and fast installation, open-slot busway is widely used today in industrial, lab, R&D, manufacturing, and commercial environments.
A modern open-slot architecture that allows plug-ins almost anywhere along the run. Ideal for flexible layouts, industrial work cells, labs, automation, and R&D spaces where equipment moves frequently.
A complete busway system includes:
Straight Sections – Main lengths carrying the conductors
Joint Packs – Mechanical and electrical connectors
Feeds – Connect busway to electrical panels
Plug-In Units – Power drops, receptacles, and equipment feeds
Hangers / Supports – Suspension hardware
Accessories – Terminations, curves, and expansion fittings
Build an overhead run of Track Busway over your work area—suspend lengths with hangers, join abutting sections with joiner kits, and then plug in PowerDrops exactly where you need them. The result is a continuous open-slot power run directly over the workspace.
Busway is a modular electrical distribution system that uses enclosed or open conductors to deliver power throughout a facility. Instead of cutting and bending conduit every time a circuit is added or moved, busway provides a reusable overhead “spine” where power can be tapped along rows, grids, or full building spans.
Overhead busway carries power through insulated busbars inside a protective housing. Plug-in units or PowerDrops connect to those busbars along the run, so circuits can be added or relocated without pulling new wire or installing new junction boxes. This makes layout changes much faster than traditional pipe-and-wire installations.
In practice, engineers typically encounter four categories of busway: high-ampacity feeder bus duct for backbone distribution, trolley busway for sliding drops along a straight run, fixed-window legacy plug-in busway with pre-cut tap locations, and modern open-slot track busway that provides continuous plug-in access along the length.
“Bus duct” usually refers to high-ampacity feeder busway used between switchgear, PDUs, risers, or large equipment.
Busway is the broader family that includes feeder bus duct, plug-in busway, trolley systems, and open-slot track busway.
All are busway, but not all busway is high-amp feeder bus duct.
Traditional conduit requires cutting, threading, pulling wire, and making permanent splices in junction boxes every time alayout changes. Busway eliminates most of that work by providing a modular overhead channel where power can be added, moved,or extended without rewiring. As facilities adopt more automation and reconfigurable production lines, busway has become apreferred method for flexible overhead power distribution.
