The need of high speed railway trains becomes more and more necessary. Continuous operating services are also a daily challenge for infrastructure managers, operators and train construction teams. The current collection is generally ensured by means of a pantograph which constitutes a sensitive element of the traction chain feature. The purpose of the study, presented in this paper, is to develop a numerical model for the dynamic interaction between the pantographs and the catenary in order to predict their dynamic behaviour. The 'INPAC' simulator is a new simulation tool based on advanced finite elements and numerical integration techniques. The geometry and mechanical characteristics of the catenary is modelled using beam and bar elements while the non-linearities and the pantograph are considered a differential equation system. The simulation methodology has been validated according to EN 50318. The time step of numerical iterations and the model of the contact stiffness between the pantograph and the catenary considerably influence the accuracy of the simulation results. Case studies were performed in order to demonstrate and to highlight the proposed techniques. \textcopyright Civil-Comp Press, 2016.