Could Chiltern Go Battery-Electric?
In the October 2022 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an article, which is entitled Chiltern Considers Turbo Future, with a sub-title of Battery Replacement Could Be On The Cards.
These are the first two paragraphs.
In early September Chiltern Railways was preparing to launch a market sounding exercise to consider options for the future of the Class 165 Turbo DMU fleet.
The operator has 28×2-car and 11×3-car ‘165s’. which operate alongside its more modern Class 168 DMUs and its loco-hauled sets. The market sounding exercise will consider two options for the future of the fleet – some sort of hybrid conversion, or outright replacement.
The Class 165 Trains
The Class 165 trains were built in 1990-1991.
- Maximum Speed – 75 mph
- Prime Movers – One per car, Perkins 2006-TWH
- 2-car Trains – 28
- 3-car Trains – 11
One is being converted to a diesel/battery hybrid.
The Class 168 Trains
The Class 168 trains were built in 1998-2004.
- Maximum Speed – 100 mph
- Prime Movers – One per car, MTU 6R 183TD13H
- 2-car Trains – 9
- 3-car Trains – 8
- 4-car Trains – 11
One has been converted to a diesel/battery hybrid.
Conversion To Hybrid Operation
If this proves to be feasible, it will surely be the more affordable of the two options.
But it does leave Chiltern with a mixed fleet with two types of train with different maximum speeds and these lengths.
- 2-car Trains – 37
- 3-car Trains – 19
- 4-car Trains – 11
Would a fleet of similar trains, with perhaps a maximum speed of 100 mph, be better operationally?
Battery-Electric Operation
The Modern Railways article introduces the concept of battery-electric operation with this paragraph.
If a replacement fleet is considered the best option for the Turbo units, the replacements could take the form of a straight battery EMU, taking advantage of recent advances in ‘fast charge’ technology.
The article also says this about battery technology and electrification.
There is optimism that advances in battery technology will provide a smooth pathway to decarbonise Chiltern’s operations – the company serves the only non-electrified London terminus.
In the longer-term, it is hoped electrification from Birmingham to Banbury as part of a strategy to decarbonise CrossCountry and freight services would enable Chiltern to run a battery EMU on London to Birmingham duties, running under battery power as far north as Banbury and switching to overhead wires from there, both powering the unit and enabling the batteries to be recharged.
The Modern Railways article looked at each route and I will do this in more detail.
London Marylebone And Aylesbury via High Wycombe
London Marylebone and Oxford would be under battery operation for 40 miles.
Trains would be charged at London Marylebone and Aylesbury stations.
London Marylebone And Aylesbury Vale Parkway
London Marylebone and Oxford would be under battery operation for 41 miles.
Trains would be charged at London Marylebone and Aylesbury Vale Parkway stations.
It might be better to electrify between Aylesbury and Aylesbury Vale Parkway stations.
London Marylebone And Banbury
London Marylebone and Oxford would be under battery operation for 69 miles.
Trains would be charged at London Marylebone and Banbury stations.
Leamington Spa And Birmingham Moor Street
Assuming the Birmingham and Banbury section of the route is electrified, this route will be electrified.
London Marylebone And Birmingham Moor Street Or Birmingham Snow Hill
Assuming the Birmingham and Banbury section of the route is electrified, this route can be considered to be in two sections.
- London Marylebone and Banbury – Battery operation – 69 miles
- Banbury and Birmingham – Electric operation – 42 miles
Trains would be charged at London Marylebone station and on the electrified section.
London Marylebone And Gerrards Cross
London Marylebone and Oxford would be under battery operation for 19 miles or 38 miles both ways.
Trains would be charged at London Marylebone station.
London Marylebone And High Wycombe
London Marylebone and Oxford would be under battery operation for 28 miles or 56 miles both ways.
Trains would be charged at London Marylebone station.
London Marylebone And Oxford
London Marylebone and Oxford would be under battery operation for 66.8 miles.
Trains would be charged at London Marylebone and Oxford stations.
London Marylebone And Stratford-upon-Avon
Assuming the Birmingham and Banbury section of the route is electrified, this route can be considered to be in two sections.
- London Marylebone and Banbury – Battery operation – 69 miles
- Banbury and Hatton Junction – Electric operation – 26 miles
- Hatton Junction and Stratford-upon-Avon – Battery operation – 9 miles
Trains would be charged at London Marylebone station and on the electrified section.
Chiltern’s Mainline Service
Chiltern’s Mainline service between London and Birmingham is run by either a Class 68 locomotive pulling a rake of six Mark 3 coaches and a driving van trailer or two or three Class 168 trains.
As the locomotive-hauled train is about eight coaches, it could surely be replaced by two four-car multiple units working together.
I believe that if Chiltern obtained a fleet of four-car battery electric trains, this would be the most efficient fleets for all their routes.
Charging At London Marylebone Station
I took these pictures at Marylebone station today.
Note.
- It is a surprisingly spacious station and I feel that Furrer+Frey or some other specialist company could add some form of charging to the platforms.
- Charging would probably performed using the train’s pantograph.
It appears that the turnround time in Marylebone is typically twelve minutes or more, which should be adequate to fully charge a train.
Conclusion
Both solutions will work for Chiltern.
But I prefer the new battery-electric train, which has some crucial advantages.
- Battery-electric trains will be quieter than hybrid trains.
- Marylebone station has a noise problem and battery-electric trains are very quiet.
- Chiltern have ambitions to built new platforms at Old Oak Common and to serve Paddington. This could be easier with a battery electric train.
Rhe only disadvantage is that Banbury and Birmingham would need to be electrified.
The Anonymous Widower 
I commuted on Chiltern for serveral years when new 168s were being added to the fleet.
The mixed speeds does not seem to be a problem as the 165s are more in the stopping services so the 75mph is not an issue and probably is higher geared than a 168.
The 168s are usually on the longer services with less stops so suits 100mph better.
And 165s with 168s do not get mixed too often.
I think the answer all depends on:
* when will full route electification take place
* what are the body shells like re corrosion – are they good for 10 or 15 or even 20 years
* at what point is something else obsolete and difficult to repair
So my vote is on the hybrid engine solution until full electrification is underway and with no prospect of being cancelled.
Comment by TW | September 25, 2022 |
This is exactly the kind of analysis that’s needed for all lines, as the Scots have been doing. At NR’s current rate, electrification of all the lines listed in NR’s proposal from a couple of years ago would be complete sometime around the end of the century. The main line N of Oxford should be a priority, but the main line goes via Coventry, so won’t apply to the route Chiltern uses from Leamington. So what’s the schedule for that likely to be? Given that the current projects are scheduled until the late 2030s … 2050s perhaps?
Introducing batteries where they are within range is the obvious alternative. If we take the Stadler Flirts as the benchmark, all of these lines are within current range (GB Flirts won’t have exactly the same range because loading gauge limits space for batteries.) Have a contract which includes battery replacement as the technology improves. Roll them out gradually, and chances are that batteries will have improved considerably by the time they’re actually delivered.
Comment by Peter Robins | September 25, 2022 |
I meant of course the German Flirt Akku.
Comment by Peter Robins | September 25, 2022 |
https://www.railjournal.com/fleet/hitachi-rail-ceo-wants-clarity-over-future-british-fleet-orders/ reports Hitachi Rail CEO is calling for the UK gov to make decisions on procurement, so manufacturers can make plans.
Comment by Peter Robins | September 27, 2022 |
Well Peter it is quickly approaching 1200 days since the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline was last published. They said they’d publish it annually but there you go. Governments seem to practiced at making a promise and not keeping to it.
Difference these days is that rail manufacturers are no longer British owned.
Politicians will never learn.
Comment by fammorris | September 27, 2022 |