The Anonymous Widower

North-East-Based Turntide Receives Initial Battery Production Order From Hitachi Rail For Arriva’s Grand Central Intercity UK Battery Trains

The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from Turntide Technologies.

This is the sub-heading.

New batteries to enable greener train operations to remove over 600 engines on existing trains, offering lower cost of operations, more range, and path to zero-emissions travel.

These are the initial three paragraphs, that add more detail.

Turntide Technologies (Turntide), a global leader in electrification and hybridisation solutions and a long-standing North East manufacturer, received its first order from Hitachi Rail to begin production of its next-generation modular battery system for the first U.K.-manufactured battery trains for Arriva’s Grand Central.

First announced on July 2, 2025, this partnership involved an R&D component and has officially moved into production with the potential to support either new battery trains or retrofitting over 600 engines on existing Hitachi Rail U.K. fleets.

This new battery system will allow for lower cost of operations, extended range, and a path to zero-emission travel, while reducing reliance on fossil fuels and improving air quality and noise pollution. Turntide’s bespoke batteries are designed to deliver even greater power density in the same footprint of a diesel engine. This battery production is an advanced manufacturing milestone for Arriva’s Grand Central new fleet, which is being built in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham by Hitachi Rail.

In Are Hitachi’s Tri-Mode Trains Exceeding Expectations?, I said this.

I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this post and received this answer.

Yes, Hitachi’s tri-mode (battery-hybrid) trains are exceeding expectations, particularly following successful trials in the UK in late 2024. Trials of the battery-equipped Class 802/2 demonstrated superior performance to initial forecasts, leading to a £300 million order for a new fleet to be delivered in 2028.

Key findings from trials and operational expectations:

Performance Exceeded: The trial, conducted with TransPennine Express and Angel Trains, showed fuel cost savings of 35%–50%, surpassing initial predictions of up to 30%.

Operational Capability: The battery technology enabled trains to reach speeds greater than 75 mph and provided enough range for zero-emission, silent running in and out of stations, significantly reducing noise and improving air quality.

Energy Efficiency: The battery matched the weight of a diesel engine, meaning no extra track degradation.

Future Impact: The success of the trial led to an order from Arriva Group for a new fleet for Grand Central services, which will increase seating capacity by 20% and are expected to significantly reduce carbon emissions.

These trains, designed to run on electric, battery, or diesel power, are part of a push to modernize rail services, with the technology allowing for the gradual elimination of diesel-only operation on certain routes.

In The Data Sheet For Hitachi Battery Electric Trains, I came to these conclusions.

• The battery pack has a capacity of 750 kWh.
• A five-car train needs three battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
• A nine-car train needs five battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
• The maximum range of a five-car train with three batteries is 117 miles.
• The maximum range of a nine-car train with five batteries is 121 miles.

Hitachi have seen my figures and told me they’re not far out.

As battery technology gets better, these distances will increase

What Battery Range Do Arriva Grand Central Trains Need?

Arriva Grand Central Trains currently run services to Bradford Interchange and Sunderland and hope of adding services to Cleethorpes.

All services would go between Doncaster and Kings Cross, with some stopping additionally at Peterborough.

The lengths of unelectrified track on each route is as follows.

• Bradford Interchange – Shaftholme junction and Bradford Interchange is  not electrified – 47.8 miles
• Cleethorpes – Doncaster and Cleethorpes is not electrified – 52.1 miles
• Sunderland – Northallerton and Sunderland is not electrified – 47.4 miles

Note.

1. Bradford Interchange station is on a tightly hemmed-in site and putting charging infrastructure in the station might be difficult.
2. All Bradford Interchange services will soon be passing electrification at Mirfield station, so there may be scope for a quick charge and continue.
3. Cleethorpes station is an open-air station with four platforms.
4. I believe it is likely, that Cleethorpes station will also be a destination station for other battery-electric trains from LNER, Northern Trains and TransPennine, so I would suspect that charging facilities will be installed.
5. Cleethorpes station could be an ideal location for one of Siemens’ Rail Charging Converters.
6. Sunderland station is underground and has a unique layout where both platforms are electrified for the Metro. It is all explained in the Wikipedia entry for the station.
7. The Wikipedia entry shows an open-air siding without electrification. One possibility would be for the Class 820 trains to park there and use their on-board diesel to top-up the batteries, so they could reach Northallerton.
8. It appears that Grand Central visit Ryhope Grange Sidings between arriving and leaving for King’s Cross. The trains could have their batteries topped up there if needed.

It does look like a five-car train with a battery range of at least 105 miles would be able to handle these three routes.

The Arriva Grand Central Trains Fleet Are Now Class 820 trains

They have a Wikipedia entry.

The order was for nine trains of five cars.

• Wikipedia describes them as tri-mode trains.
• I believe they will have three battery packs and one diesel generator.
• Three battery packs should give a range of 117 miles.
• Google AI says that on one diesel generator, these trains can limp home at 60 miles per hour.
• Google AI says that the diesel generator will be able to charge the batteries at the destination station?
• From comments on the Internet, it appears that Hitachi have a very clever train control system, that ekes out the available power.

It looks to me that Hitachi have designed a train that can handle an unelectrified branch line of up to 60 miles or 120 miles if there are charging facilities at the destination station.

Did LNER And TransPennine Express Not Want To Be First With Battery-Electric Intercity Trains?

Consider.

• TransPennine and LNER are under government control.
• TransPennine provided the train for the testing, so they must know all the results and their drivers, who were probably  involved certainly do.
• LNER must have the best initial route in King’s Cross and Lincoln, where only the last 16.6 miles, between Newark and Lincoln is not electrified.
• Surely, both companies should have been given at least one of the first batteries, so they could start training staff in how to use and service the batteries.

I have also totalled how many existing diesel power-packs are in existing Hitachi trains and it is 759.

This figure surprised me, as the sub-heading in the Turntide news item said the number of engines in existing trains was over 600. But then East Midlands Railway are still introducing their fleet of 33 x Class 810 trains, which have a total of 132 engines, and 627 could be described as over 600 engines.

How Much Would A Turntide Battery-Pack Cost?

Consider.

• This is a bespoke product for Hitachi.
• Hitachi have stated that the weight is the same as a diesel-pack, so that track-access rules and charges won’t change.
• As a Control Engineer, I wouldn’t be surprised, that the battery-pack is designed to tell the train control system, that it is a diesel power pack. So it acts just like one!
• In the 1960s, I was designing, building and installing transisterised control systems to replace electronic valve and relay equipment in a rolling mills. The two generations of control systems were interchangeable. Are diesel-packs and battery-packs the same?
• Why did Hitachi choose a small supplier in Gateshead, rather than one of a number of capable companies in Japan? You don’t go halfway around the world, if the quality is available locally.
• Deployment of these trains, will avoid the cost of scores of miles of overhead electrification.
• A lot of routes won’t even need chargers at the remote destination, as the range will be sufficient for an out and back journey from the current electrification.
• Fuel cost savings of 35%–50% were achieved in development testing.
• I have ridden in three battery-electric trains. All were mouse quiet. Will that increase ridership?

I believe these batteries are no ordinary batteries. So they won’t come cheap!

I wouldn’t be surprised that the cost of each battery-pack between a half-a-million pounds and a million pounds, with support.

Will These Trains Create Growth In The Economy?

I have ridden in all current variants of the Hitachi Intercity Express Trains, with the possible exception of the Class 805 train and as each version has been introduced, they are no worse, but often better than previous versions.

I have had two or maybe three return trips to Nottingham and Sheffield in the latest variant, which is East Midlands Railway’s Class 810 train.

This is without doubt the pick of the bunch.

I therefor believe that if this continuous improvement carries on, that the new Class 820 train, that has been ordered by Grand Central will be even better.

• My experience of battery-electric trains, says it will be quieter.
• The environment of stations will be improved.
• Train fuel costs will be reduced.
• I believe that ridership will be increased, as people will be intrigued by a 125 mph train running on batteries.
• The trains will have the ability to divert via Lincoln using the GNGE Diversion on the East Coast Main Line during engineering works.
• Because of their regenerative braking, the trains should be able to do very quick extra stops at intermediate stations.
• New routes will be developed.
• Less ugly electrification will be erected on scenic routes like Settle and Carlisle, and across the Highlands of Scotland.

I believe strongly, that at the end of the day, that battery-electric trains will increase the profits of operators and Network Rail, and reduce the cost to the taxpayers of the railways.

Grand Central’s New Trains Will Improve Services

All these stations will be served by the new Class 820 trains.

• Barnetby
• Bradford Interchange
• Brighouse
• Cleethorpes
• Doncaster
• Eaglescliffe
• Grimsby
• Habrough
• Halifax
• Hartlepool
• Low Moor
• Mirfield
• Northallerton
• Peterborough
• Pontefract Monkhill
• Scunthorpe
• Seaham
• Sunderland
• Thirsk
• Wakefield Kirkgate
• York

Passengers should notice the following from the new Grand Central trains.

• A quieter ride.
• Less vibration.
• Slightly faster services due to faster stops at stations.
• No diesel smoke and much less noise from trains in stations.

Note.

1. Cross Country, Hull Trains, LNER, Lumo, TransPennine Express and other operators will come under pressure to follow suit.
2. Batteries, will not have the power for freight trains, so will we see a new generation of hydrogen freight locomotives?

But will the improved services bring that exclusive growth to the economy?

Only time will tell!

Private And Public Operators

In the UK, we have.

• Private open access operators like Grand Central, Hull Trains and Lumo, who can buy trains on a loan from a leasing company.
• Public operators like LNER and TransPennine Express, who probably have to get sign off from the Treasury.
• Several companies like Great Western Railways and East Midlands Railway, who are soon to be taken over by Great British Railways, who are stuck in a sort of limbo.

My late friend ; David, who rose to the highest level in banking in the UK, would have come up with a solution.

He would probably have said, that there’s is very little difference between the groups of operators.

• The train services they offer vary only on destinations and prices.
• The ticketing system is now unified, so if you turn up at the last minute and want to go to Newcastle and Lumo and LNER both have tickets, you are offered a choice and you can pick the one that’s best for you.
• All services will soon be running similar battery-electric trains, fprobably from the same Hitachi  factory in Newton Aycliffe.
• Food and beverage service is not competitive and could be improved.
• Staff are probably on similar employment agreements.

So why shouldn’t Great British Railways be able to lease trains and even battery packs from companies like Angel Trains, who are funding the trains for Grand Central?

It might get more battery trains running on tracks all over Great Britain sooner than it appears they will now!

July 17, 2026 Posted by AnonW | Artificial Intelligence, Environment, Manufacturing, Transport/Travel | Angel Trains, Battery-Electric Trains, Class 800 Train, Class 801 Train, Class 802 Train, Class 803 Trains, Class 805 Train, Class 807 Train, Class 810 Train, Class 820 Train, Cleethorpes Station, East Midlands Railway, Google AI, Grand Central Trains, Great British Railways, Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line (GNGE), Hitachi, Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, Leasing, Lincoln Station, LNER, Lumo, Network Rail, Noise, Northallerton Station, Northern Trains, Open Access Operators, Regenerative Braking, Siemens' Rail Charging Converter, TransPennine Express, Turntide Technologies | Leave a comment