The Anonymous Widower

Southeastern Keen On Battery EMUs

The title of this post, is the same as that of a small section in the August 2023 Edition of Modern Railways.

This is said.

Southeastern is to seek pre-qualification interest from manufacturers and leasing companies for a replacement fleet for the Networker Class 465 and 466 inner-suburban stock, now over 30 years old. The company intends to compare the price of new and cascaded stock.

Southeastern MD Steve White told Modern Railways his preference is for a bi-mode EMU, capable of working off both the third rail supply and batteries. Battery EMUs were originally proposed for the Networker replacements so they could work through services to the unelectrified Isle of Grain branch, after Medway Council put forward plans to restore passenger services on the Hoo peninsular to serve new housing there.

Despite the extension of services to Sharnal Street on the Isle of Grain having since been put on hold by Medway Council on cost grounds (p13, May issue).

Southeastern is still pursuing battery EMUs, even though the company’s existing network is all electrified on the third rail system.

Merseyrail is already adopting battery EMU technology, with seven of the new fleet of 53×4-car Class 777 units being equipped with batteries to enable them to serve the unelectrified extension to Headbolt Lane (p82, July 2022 issue).

Mr. White says there are a number of reasons battery EMUs are attractive.

    • Increasing levels of mental health issues in society have led to trespass being a major issue the railway: battery EMUs would make it feasible to keep trains moving at slow speed when the current supply has to be switched off to protect a trespasser.
    • Battery EMUs would be able to keep moving on occasions when the third rail supply fails, due to technical failures or ice on the conductor rail. This would avoid the compounding of problems, as when delayed passengers got out on the track at Lewisham in March 2018 when the third rail iced up, forcing Network Rail to cut the electricity supply and making it more difficult to get trains moving again.
    • Battery EMUs would make it feasible to remove third rail from depots, making them safer places in which to work. A train cleaner was electrocuted and died at West Marina depot in St. Leonards in May 2014, and the Office of Road and Rail has well-publicised concerns on safety grounds about any extensions to the third rail system.
    • Battery EMUs would be able to cater for service extensions on unelectrified lines, such as the Isle of Grain.

Mt. White says the trespass issue is the major driver, and if the principle of battery EMUs becomes established it might prove feasible to remove the third rail from platform areas at inner-suburban stations with a persistent trespass problem. He points out this approach might unlock extension of third rail to routes such as the Uckfield line, allowing station areas to be left unelectrified. Replacement of DMUs by electric stock on the Uckfield branch would eliminate diesel working at London Bridge, with air-quality and carbon removal benefits for the capital.

There are a 5-star hotel and a major hospital close to the diesel-worked plstform at London Bridge.

I will now look at some of the issues in detail.

Range Of A Battery EMU

I discuss range of battery EMUs in these posts.

Note.

  1. Both trains are built by Stadler.
  2. 135 km. is 84 miles.
  3. A Bombardier engineer told me eight years ago, that the prototype battery-electric Class 379 train had a range of sixty miles.

I feel it is reasonable to assume that a 100 mph battery-electric train, designed to replace Southeastern’s Networkers could have a range of at least sixty miles.

Distances Of Cannon Street Metro Services

These are distances of services from Cannon Street.

  • Erith Loop via Greenwich, Woolwich Arsenal and Bexleyheath – 28.5 miles
  • Gravesend – 24.5 miles
  • Orpington – 12.6 miles
  • Grove Park – 7.1 miles
  • Slade Green – 14.5 miles

Note.

  1. The Erith Loop services start and finish at Cannon Street station.
  2. The Gravesend service terminates in an electrified bay platform.
  3. The Orpington service terminates in an electrified bay platform.
  4. Grove Park and Slade Green are depots.

If trains could be fully charged at Cannon Street station, all services out of the station could be worked by a battery EMU with a range of forty miles.

Charging At Cannon Street

Consider.

  • All Cannon Street services arrive at the station via London Bridge station.
  • All Cannon Street services leave the station via London Bridge station.
  • Trains typically take 4-5 minutes between Cannon Street and London Bridge station.
  • Trains typically wait at least 7 minutes in Cannon Street station before leaving.
  • Typically, a battery EMU takes fifteen minutes to charge.

A train running from London Bridge to London Bridge would probably take a minimum of fifteen minutes, which should be enough to charge the train.

The track between London Bridge and Cannon Street would need a strong level of protection from trespassers.

I suspect that with some slight timetable adjustments, all Cannon Street services  could be run using battery EMUs.

Distances Of Charing Cross Metro Services

These are distances of services from Charing Cross.

  • Maidstone East – 38.9 miles
  • Dartford – 17.1 miles
  • Gravesend – 23.8 miles
  • Hayes – 14.3 miles
  • Sevenoaks – 22.2 miles
  • Grove Park – 8 miles

Note.

  1. The Gravesend service terminates in an electrified bay platform, which could be used to charge the train before return.
  2. The Maidstone East service terminates in an electrified platform.
  3. Grove Park is a depot.

If trains could be fully charged at Charing Cross station, all services out of the station could be worked by a battery EMU with a range of fifty miles.

Charging At Charing Cross

Consider.

  • All Charing Cross services arrive at the station via London Bridge station.
  • All Charing Cross services leave the station via London Bridge station.
  • Trains typically take 10 minutes between Charing Cross and London Bridge station.
  • Trains typically wait at least 7 minutes in Charing Cross station before leaving.
  • Typically, a battery EMU takes fifteen minutes to charge.

A train running from London Bridge to London Bridge would probably take a minimum of twenty minutes, which should be enough to charge the train.

The track between London Bridge and Charing Cross would need a strong level of protection from trespassers.

I suspect that with some slight timetable adjustments, all Charing Cross services  could be run using battery EMUs.

Distances Of Victoria Metro Services

These are distances of services from Victoria.

  • Gillingham – 37.2 miles
  • Orpington – 14.7 miles
  • Dartford – 18.9 miles

Note.

  1. The Orpington service terminates in an electrified bay platform.
  2. The Gillingham service terminates in an electrified bay platform.
  3. The Dartford service terminates in an electrified platform.

If trains could be fully charged at Victoria station, all services out of the station could be worked by a battery EMU with a range of fifty miles.

Charging At Victoria

Consider.

  • All Victoria services arrive at the station via Shepherds Lane junction.
  • All Victoria services leave the station via Shepherds Lane junction.
  • Trains typically take five minutes between Victoria and Shepherds Lane junction.
  • Trains typically wait at least 7 minutes in Victoria station before leaving.
  • Typically, a battery EMU takes fifteen minutes to charge.

A train running from Shepherds Lane junction to Shepherds Lane junction would probably take a minimum of seventeen minutes, which should be enough to charge the train.

The track between Shepherds Lane junction and Victoria would need a strong level of protection from trespassers.

Conclusion

It certainly appears that if the Networker Class 465 and Class 466 trains were replaced by new trains with the following specification.

  • 100 mph operating speed.
  • Range of fifty miles on battery power.
  • Ability to charge batteries in fifteen minutes.
  • Third-rail operation
  • It might be an idea to add a pantograph, so the trains could use 25 KVAC overhead wires where necessary and charge batteries on a short length of overhead electrification.

Then a substantial part of the Southeastern Metro network could be made safer, by selective removal of third rail at trespassing hot spots.

 

August 12, 2023 - Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

18 Comments »

  1. I think you’re rather jumping the gun here. It looks like atm SE are only considering small batteries to enable removing 3rd rail from depots, switching off power on short stretches with trespassers, continuing running when temporary failures, and possibly removing live rails in station areas. This seems very sensible to me. I can see batteries combined with fast chargers eventually replacing all 3rd rail, but atm this is surely very low priority. The priority has to be replacing diesel – which SE does not have.

    As with the other recent proposals from operators, it’s good to see batteries at last being given serious consideration.

    Comment by Peter Robins | August 12, 2023 | Reply

  2. This story has its origins in the pre tender enquiry let last November in which the “inclusion of options for traction batteries with capability for operation in depots and sidings without the need for external power supply, and with the capability to operate on the main line where power supply is not available due to isolations or incidents, or for non-electrified line sections of up to 20 miles”
    Really we should be looking on this issue as the first of series of initiatives that following Merseyrail’s committment to BEMU’s include Northern, Chiltern and let’s not forget Great Western.

    Comment by fammorris | August 12, 2023 | Reply

    • yes, I think a lot of eyes will be focused on Headbolt Lane when it eventually opens. I see the line to Kirkby is reopening on Monday, but there doesn’t seem be any firm date for HL yet.

      Comment by Peter Robins | August 12, 2023 | Reply

      • Hardly a real test less than 2 miles round trip off the juice. Not that i believe any of it need trialing this is proven technology and its disappointing that there is no through running at Headbolt Lane as an extension to Wigan is really what should be happening to exploit the trains capability.

        Comment by Nicholas Lewis | August 12, 2023

      • That will come later. The priority atm is to extend services within the City region boundaries. The extension to HL is hardly a long distance, but it should be quite a good test of equipment and procedures. Once those are established, then it should be staightforward to extend to other lines. See last sentence of https://www.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk/electric-dreams-the-liverpool-city-regions-new-publicly-owned-battery-trains-begin-final-testing/

        Originally, the plan was to extend to Skelmersdale, but the gov is refusing to fund that. Replacing the service to Wigan would require agreement of responsibilities with Northern/GBR/whoever.

        Comment by Peter Robins | August 12, 2023

    • Stadler have put down a stiff challenge. Their data sheet for the Class 777 IPEMU gives a range of 34 miles, but that is but a short stroll compared to the 84 miles, that a Class 777 IPEMU has achieved on test. We shouldn’t forget that a Stadler Flirt Akku has achieved a certified 139 miles on battery power.

      As Hitachi are going to enter the fray and they have teamed up with JCB’s battery supplier, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that 139 miles becomes a notch on history.

      I am not sure, but I suspect that a nine-car IPEMU might have a longer range than a five-car, if batteries are distributed along the train. I wouldn’t be surprised to see that Hitachi have set themselves the goal of going between London and Aberdeen, Carmarthen, Inverness or Penzance without using a drop of diesel.

      Comment by AnonW | August 12, 2023 | Reply

  3. There is some sense to get con rail removed from depots and sidings but wonder what size battery that would need given you will need traction energy plus sufficient energy to support the unit being stabled for 48hrs. Drivers wont want a cold cab either!

    Comment by Nicholas Lewis | August 12, 2023 | Reply

    • Units are surely not left on all night atm. With diesel, they surely start up in the depot/siding before use, and then leave it running, often in the platform. This will warm things up for both staff and passengers. They can do exactly the same with a battery. A depot/siding would be an obvious place to put charging facilities.

      Comment by Peter Robins | August 12, 2023 | Reply

  4. I see that the Alstom BEMUs being provided for the extended Dublin DART system will have a 50 mile range on battery operation and Alstom will provide an automatic fast charging facility at Drogheda being fed by a 1500 volt OHL section in the station

    Comment by fammorris | August 19, 2023 | Reply

    • Alstom’s press release is at https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2022/12/alstom-supply-18-additional-xtrapolis-battery-electric-trains-irish-rail. I wish the DfT would wake up and embrace the flexibility that BEMUs provide, and the Irish are planning to make use of.

      Alstom’s also providing BEMUs for SNCF’s trial, which is supposed to start service next year. I don’t know what range they have, but 80-90km seems to be the norm these days. However, these are different trains from the DART X’trapolis (where do they get these strange names from?).

      Comment by Peter Robins | August 19, 2023 | Reply

      • Where do they get these names from? I suspect it’s whimsy and a bit of French nostalgia with a bit of classical Greek tossed in. Back in the day SNCF used to use the following designations X for DMUs or Z for EMUs. Diesel shunters were prefixed Y. Perhaps they should have named it Z’apolis
        I suppose rather like the British Rolling Stock Library designations these ancient class or type codes aren’t easily applicable to a new fangled thing like a BEMU.
        Why Alstom called their tram Citadas rather than Civitas I don’t know.

        Comment by fammorris | August 19, 2023

  5. I see that Caltrain, who provide a commuter rail service along the San Francisco Peninsula, through the South Bay to San Jose and Gilroy are getting onboard with the idea of trialling a bi-level Stadler BEMU. https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/commuterregional/caltrain-to-pilot-stadler-bemu/?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=41212

    Comment by fammorris | August 21, 2023 | Reply

  6. Chemnitz is worth a visit. Especially for lapsed Marxists!

    Battery Units Planned For Chemnitz – Leipzig Route

    Comment by AnonW | August 22, 2023 | Reply

  7. […] Southeastern Keen On Battery EMUs – August 12th. 2023 […]

    Pingback by Third Rail Or Batteries Could Replace Southern Diesel Trains « The Anonymous Widower | March 7, 2024 | Reply


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