Battery-Powered Train Breaks Distance Record
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A battery-powered train has broken the world record for the longest railway journey on a single charge.
These three introductory paragraphs add more details.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) train – a specially adapted former District Line train – travelled overnight along a 200-mile (322km) route from Reading and back again, via London Paddington and Oxford.
It reached 140 miles (225km), breaking the record on Brunel’s Maidenhead Bridge at about 04:00 BST.
The previous record of 139 miles (224km) was set by German train company Stadler Deutschland in Berlin on 10 December 2021.
This was an impressive demonstration of the capabilities of battery-electric trains.
Will This Record Be Beaten?
200 miles is impressive, but there was also this paragraph in the article.
At the end of the journey GWR said there was a remaining battery charge of 22% which it estimated would have allowed the train to travel about a further 58 miles (93km).
So it looks like 258 miles should be possible.
Four other companies are also developing battery-electric trains.
- Alstom at Derby
- CAF at Newport
- Hitachi at Newton Aycliffe
- Siemens at Goole
- Stadler in Switzerland.
Note.
- All except Stadler have UK factories.
- Siemens and Stadler have delivered trains in Germany.
- This page on the Hitachi Rail web site is entitled Intercity Battery Trains.
- This page on the Hitachi Rail web site is entitled Hitachi Wins New UK Contract To Build Intercity Battery Trains. The customer is Grand Central Trains.
- Hitachi have been running a prototype for some months, in the UK.
The competition is hotting up and the record will certainly be soundly beaten.
The Anonymous Widower 
The BBC article fails to mention that this was run under special conditions: ‘supermode’, i.e. no faster than 40mph, not stopping at stations, and with hotel power switched off. As the BBC article does say, this was a “piece of fun”. Under normal operating conditions, GWR say it can achieve 50-80 miles. This ties is with what Stadler are saying: they claim 50% of the battery train market in Europe, and 90km range in normal operating conditions. As battery tech improves, we can expect increased range, and you can increase the range by increasing the size of the batteries, but at the expense of less room for passengers.
Comment by Peter Robins | August 21, 2025 |
I believe that Hitachi and their battery maker; Turntide Technology have been incredibly sensible to make the battery packs, the same size and weight as the diesel engines.
This will mean that handling and passenger and baggage capacity will be the same for all configurations of battery packs and diesel engines.
In the early 1960s, I spent a couple of summers building transistorised control units, to replace obsolete electronic valve and relay equipment, in a rolling mills.
Functionally, both units were identical, so the old units could be taken out and the new ones plugged in.
I wonder if the batteries and the diesel engines have this function and plug compatibility?
It would mean that a driver used to setting a particular power setting on a stretch of line with the diesels, could use the same setting with the batteries.
Comment by AnonW | August 21, 2025 |
There’s quite a lengthy article specifically on Hitachi’s approach at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1e7dxzl6w9o They too are talking of 90km in normal operation (bigger batteries but higher performance). Modern electro-diesel trains are designed to be easy to upgrade. The aim is that you can replace a diesel genset with a battery as part of the normal maintenance downtime.
Stadler have also said with reference to Germany that batteries can replace all the current diesel trains with batteries as the longest unelectrified stretch is 87km. Britain sadly is a bit different.
Comment by Peter Robins | August 23, 2025
Stadler say they had quite a long range when testing a Class 777. So hope for Merseyrail to reach Warrington and Wrexham.
Comment by John | August 23, 2025 |
I feel the range would allow them to reach Preston and Wigan Wallgate. Both stations have a suitable bay platform, which could be electrified using a short length of overhead wires.
The 777s can be fitted with pantographs.
But would Andy Burnham object to being invaded by Scouse trains?
Comment by AnonW | August 23, 2025 |
The range given for the 777s is 55km in normal operation (only a small battery). Preston and Wigan return is under that, so should be ok without charging. I expect operators will want to run tests on each route to make sure, though. You also have to allow extra for getting stuck somewhere and having to run hotel power for an extended time.
Wrexham is different though. That will need charging at Wrexham (or a larger battery).
Comment by Peter Robins | August 23, 2025 |
You cannot fit a pantograph to a 777 battery electric unit and there is no space for a 25kv transformer. In the relevant under floor space you can either have a battery pack or a 25kv transformer – there is not enough room for both.
Comment by chilterntrev | September 8, 2025 |
should have read “as there is no space “.
I suppose, if being a pedant, you could fit a pantograph but it would not be live or connected as you could not fit the transformer.
Comment by chilterntrev | September 8, 2025
The Wikipedia entry for the Class 777 train has this paragraph..
Class 777 units will be delivered with provision for the future installation of 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead line traction equipment. There is also allowance for the new trains to be configured as battery electric multiple units (BEMUs), which would allow them to operate on unelectrified lines without needing infrastructure upgrades.
This could be read as either…or.
Return journeys have the following distances.
Bidston – Wrexham General – 55 miles
Ormskirk – Preston – 30.7 miles
Hunts Cross – Warrington Central – 22.6 miles
Hunts Cross – Manchester Oxford Road – 56.1 miles
I think there may be other routes, where charging on Merseyrail’s 750 VDC network would allow useful places to be reached on battery power.
Some services like Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Victoria are fully-electrified, so the 25 KVAC version could handle them.
Comment by AnonW | September 8, 2025