Three New Battery-Only Revolution Very Light Rail Vehicles
This title of this post, is the same as that as this press release from Eversholt Rail Group.
These are the three bullet points.
- Eversholt Rail funding three brand-new Revolution Very Light Rail vehicles for passenger trials and ongoing operation.
- Manufactured in the UK by Transport Design International.
- Battery-only propulsion, providing zero-emissions operation.
These three paragraphs fill out the story.
Innovative new lightweight passenger trains that will help decarbonise Britain’s railways are to be trialled after a new deal was announced this week.
The new Revolution Very Light Rail vehicles will run entirely on battery power and could be carrying passengers within three years. A new system of lineside fast charging will mean the whole operation has zero emissions.
Some of Britain’s major rail operators are already showing interest in the RVLR vehicles as they seek to fulfil promises to make rail ‘cleaner’.
This is also said about looking for routes, to trial the new vehicles.
Eversholt Rail and TDI are working with key stakeholders across the UK rail industry to agree routes and services where operators can run passenger-carrying trials using these new vehicles. These trials will generate actual passenger demand data to support business cases for long-term deployment of RVLR vehicles as well as providing further passenger and operator feedback on their design and capabilities.
I have some thoughts and questions.
What Is The Top Speed?
A lot of questions like this are answered by this article on Rail Engineer, which is entitled Very Light Rail – A Revolution.
These can be ascertained from this comprehensive article.
- Top Speed – 65 mph
- Seats – 56
- Wheelchair space
- PRM TSI accessibility compatible
- Tare Weight – 24.8 tonnes
- USB Charging
For comparison these figures relate to a PRM-compliant Class 153 diesel train.
- Top Speed – 75 mph
- Seats – 59
- Tare Weight – 41.2 tonnes
This picture shows one of the Class 153 trains at Matlock Bath station.
There are still around thirty in service in the UK.
Can Two Revolution VLRs Run As A Two-Car Train?
From the pictures on the web, the trains have buffers and space for a coupler, so until someone says they must always run as single units, I’ll assume they can at least run as a pair.
Can A Revolution VLR Recharge Its Batteries Using Conventional 25 KVAC Overhead Electrification?
One route, that is a possibility for running using Revolution VLR must surely be the Greenford Branch, which connects to the electrified Great Western Main Line at West Ealing station.
In this and at several other places on the network, it could be easier to charge the trains using the existing overhead electrification or an extension of it.
Another possibility; the Marston Vale Line is also electrified at both Bedford and Bletchley.
In New Mobile Rail Charging Facility For Long Marston, I talked about how Siemens are developing a mobile charger, which initially will be deployed at Long Marston.
It could be very useful for efficient operation, if the batteries on a Revolution VLR could be charged in a number of places, which included conventional electrification.
If charging only happened, whilst trains were stationary, a lightweight pantograph and appropriate electrical gubbins might be sufficient.
Can A Revolution VLR Replace A Class 153 Train?
I suspect on some routes this will be possible, but on others, the speed or hill-climbing requirements might be too stiff for the lightweight train.
But, if I was designing a train like the Revolution VLR, I’d make sure it fitted as many markets as possible.
The picture was taken at Matlock Bath station on the Derwent Valley Line, which is a single track with a fifty mph limit and an uphill climb. I suspect that the Revolution VLR would be designed to handle the uphill part of the route, but would the train be able to handle the speed of the Midland Main Line to Derby.
The Revolution VLR would probably attract more passengers, so it might be necessary to double up the service by running a pair.
Can A Pair Of Revolution VLRs Replace A Class 150 Train?
I don’t see why not!
Could The West London Orbital Use Revolution VLRs?
This might be a proposed route that could use Revolution VLRs.
The two routes would be.
- West Hampstead and Hounslow.
- Hendon and Kew Bridge.
Both services would use the Dudding Hill Line and serve Neasden, Harlesden, Old Oak Common and Acton, with a frequency of four trains per hour (tph).
Although this service could be run using conventional multiple units, it might be more affordable to use Revolution VLRs charged on sections of line that are already electrified.
Could the Greenford Branch Use Revolution VLRs?
The Greenford Branch would be a classic application and trains could be charged by fitting a charger in the bay platform at West Ealing station.
In An Automated Shuttle Train On The Greenford Branch Line, I did a rough calculation to see if an automated shuttle could achieve four tph.
Four tph might be too ambitious, but automatic trains shuttling along a branch line might be an affordable way to provide zero-carbon trains with an adequate capacity.
- The driver would drive the train using the sort of remote control used for drones.
- The driver would sit in a convenient place on the train, with CCTV to help them see everything.
- When the train was ready to leave, the driver would push a button to tell the train to move to the next station.
- On arrival at the next station, the doors will open.
- The process would repeat along the line.
If this method of operation sounds vaguely familiar, the Victoria Line has used it since 1067.
Although the Victoria Line drivers always sit in the front.
But on a line with no other trains running at the same time, all they need is a good view of the doors.
Branch lines that could be run in this way could include.
Bodmin Parkway and Bodmin General
Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier
Grove Park and Bromley North
Lancaster and Morecambe
Liskeard and Looe
Lostwithiel and Powey
Maidenhead and Marlow
March and Wisbech
Par and Newquay
Plymouth and Gunnislake
Romford and Upminster
Sittingbourne and Sheerness-on-Sea
Slough and Windsor Central
Southall and Brentford
St. Erth and St. Ives
Truro and Falmouth Docks
Twyford and Henley-on-Thames
Watford Junction and St. Albans Abbey
West Ealing and Greenford
Wickford and Southminster
Wymondham and Dereham
No comments yet.
The Anonymous Widower 
Leave a comment