Battery Train Fast Charging Station Tested
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the first paragraph.
A prototype Voltap rapid charging station for battery trains has been tested under real-world conditions for the first time.
The Voltap system is from Furrer + Frey and this is the data sheet on their web site, which is entitled Voltap Charging Station For Battery Trains.
Looking at the pictures in the article, the system seems to consist of two components.
- An overhead conductor rail suspended from pantries on the platform.
- A container that contains all the power supplies and control systems.
It certainly looks to be a simple system to install and operate.
- Charging would appear to take place through the pantograph, with no cables to handle.
- It is claimed to be able to charge a train in an extremely short time.
- The system is designed for areas, where the electricity network is perhaps a bit weaker.
- It is available in 15 KVAC and 25 KVAC.
- The system is future-proofed.
I can see these being suitable for several stations in the UK.
Norfolk And Suffolk
As an example, it looks like all the branch lines in Norfolk and Suffolk could be made suitable for battery-electric trains with Voltap systems at Cromer, Felixstowe, Lowestoft, Sheringham, Sudbury and Yarmouth.
Note.
- The Class 755 trains would be converted to battery-electric trains.
- Some stations would need more than one platform to have a charger.
- There may be other chargers to ensure that services like Norwich and Stansted Airport could be run electrically.
These pictures show Class 755 trains in various East Anglian stations.
Felixstowe and some other stations may need a slightly different installation due to the narrow platforms, but I’m sure Furrer + Frey have installations for all platforms.
I think Great British Railways are going to need a lot of these chargers and the battery-electric trains to go with them.
The Uckfield Branch
The Uckfield Branch probably needs to have some form of charging at Uckfield station.
The picture shows the single long platform at Uckfield station.
Consider.
- Trains to work the branch will need to be able to use third-rail electrification between London Bridge station and Hurst Green junction.
- Hurst Green junction to Uckfield station and back is probably too far for a battery-electric train, so charging will be needed at Uckfield station.
- Third-rail charging could be used, but I suspect that Health and Safety will say no!
But using a dual-voltage train and a Voltap system at Uckfield station would probably be ideal.
Middlesbrough
From December the 13th, LNER will be running a new daily service between Middlesbrough and London, which I described in LNER’s Middlesbrough And London Service Starts On December 13th.
The route is fully electrified except for between Middlesbrough and Longlands Junction, where it joins the electrification of the East Coast Main Line, which is a distance of twenty-two miles.
Hitachi are developing a battery-train, which they call the Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, which is described in this Hitachi infographic.
Note.
- LNER’s current Class 800 trains will probably be able to be converted to this train.
- Normally, these trains have three diesel generators.
- A range on battery power of upwards of forty miles would be expected.
If the range on battery-power can be stretched to perhaps sixty miles, this train should be capable of serving Middlesbrough without the need for any extra charging at the terminus.
I have just looked at the planned path of the first train on December 13th.
- The train comes from Heaton depot in Newcastle via Sunderland and Hartlepool.
- It passes through Middlesbrough station.
- It then reverses amongst the chemical and steel works to the East, before returning to Middlesbrough station.
Once back at Middlesbrough station, it waits for eight minutes before leaving for London.
It looks to me to be a safe route, to make sure that the train leaves on time. It also only occupies the platform at Middlesbrough station for less than ten minutes.
But it would also be possible to find space amongst the chemical and steel works to find space for a well-designed reversing siding with refuelling for the diesel-electric trains or a Voltap charging system for a battery-electric train.
Lincoln
I have been looking at the pattern of LNER’s London and Lincoln service today.
- There have been six trains per day (tpd) in both directions.
- Trains going North take up to seven minutes to unload passengers at Lincoln station before moving on to Lincoln Terrace C. H. S., which I would assume is a convenient reversing siding.
- Trains going South wait up to thirty-forty minutes at Lincoln station after arriving from Lincoln Terrace C. H. S., before leaving for Kings Cross.
It looks to me, that if London and Lincoln were to be run by a Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, that the timings would be ideal for charging the batteries on the train in either the reversing siding or the station.
But surely, the charging system in the station would allow extension of the service to Grimsby and Cleethorpes, which has been stated as being part of LNER’s plans.
This picture shows Lincoln station.
I suspect that Swiss ingenuity could fit a Voltap charging system in the station.
These are a few distances from Lincoln station.
- Cleethorpes – 47.2 miles
- Doncaster – 35.4 miles
- Newark North Gate – 16.6 miles
- Peterborough – 56.9 miles
How many of these destinations could be reached by a battery-electric train, that had been fully-charged at Lincoln station.
Vivarail To Unveil 80mph Super-Class 230 At COP26
The title of this post, is the same as that as of this article on Rail Magazine.
This is the first paragraph.
Vivarail intends to show off a new design of battery-powered zero-emission Class 230 unit at next month’s COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow.
Features of the train include.
- 80 mph operating speed, as opposed to 60 mph of the mph of the current Class 230 train and 45 mph of the original London Underground D78 Stock.
- Two driver cars and a trailer car in between.
- Ten minutes to fully charge the batteries.
- The two driver cars have three battery packs.
I doubt the designers of the train at Metro-Cammell, envisaged this future development.
Level Crossing Trouble On The Northumberland Line
There is an article on Chronicle Live, which is entitled Exodus Fears Over Northumberland Line Underpass Plans For Ashington.
There is also this sub-heading.
Opponents of a planned underpass in Ashington as part of work on the Northumberland Line rail project are being urged to have their say.
So what are some people protesting about?
This page on the ABC Railway Guide is entitled Hospital Crossing Level Crossing and gives details of the level crossing, that Network Rail want to replace with an underpass.
- The crossing is a public footpath crossing with whistleboards.
- Individual and collective risk rating is high.
- It is used by 110 pedestrians and cyclists per day.
- There don’t seem to have been many recent incidents.
I know of a similar crossing in a similar town to Ashington, where there have been several deaths and suicides.
As the Northumberland Line is likely to have a half-hourly service, which will mean four trains per hour (tph) over the crossing, I doubt any Health and Safety professional would sign off the Northumberland Line without separation of the trains from pedestrians and cyclists.
Admittedly, the main complaint of the residents is noise and drunken pedestrians, but aren’t the latter most likely to be run over by a train.
There is also suggestions that the crossing be moved further to the North.
This Google Map shows the crossing.
Note how the crossing zig-zags across the railway.
This second Google Map shows a 3D visualisation from the East.
The proposed underpass would appear to connect Roseneath Court in the bottom-left and Darnley Road in the top-right.
- It does appear that the current route goes behind houses on both sides of the railway.
- I would suspect that underpasses could be built in line with both Roseneath Court and Darnley Road.
- But either route would mean that the noisy and the drunks would walk further in a parallel direction to the railway and would create more disturbance.
This level crossing argument will run and run, as many do.
The Effect Of Battery-Electric Trains
I think it is likely that services on this line could be run by battery-electric trains.
These trains could be new trains from CAF, Hitachi or Vivarail or modern electrical multiple units, that have been upgraded with batteries.
- They would be capable of 100 mph or more on the East Coast Main Line.
- They would run on battery power at an appropriate speed of perhaps 80 mph on the Northumberland Line, which is not planned to be electrified.
- I suspect the passenger trains will cruise up and down the Northumberland Line faster than the current freigtht trains.
- On battery power with no overhead wires, they will be very quiet trains.
Paradoxically, these new trains, although much better for passengers, could be more dangerous for the users of level crossings because of their faster speed and lower noise.
Pop Up Metro Aims To Provide Affordable Passenger Operation
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Trains News Wire.
It describes entrepreneur Henry Posner’s Railroad Development Corporation‘s concept of a Pop-Up Metro and how it is being demonstrated in Rockhill, Pennsylvania, where it is being demonstrated at the Rockhill Trolley Museum.
Routes suggested in the article include.
Not all these routes are fully electrified.
There is some interesting ideas in the concept.
The female project manager is also quoted as saying
I found that if you just say yes to Henry, something interesting happens!
Little did I think, that these days, I’d see that said in a serious article.
Let’s hope that represents the can-do approach behind the design, but staying within the rules of safety.
Network Rail And Vivarail Bring The Next-Generation Battery Train To COP26
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Network Rail.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Network Rail and Vivarail today announced that Vivarail’s next-generation battery train will be launched at COP26 and will run daily services throughout the international climate change conference.
This zero-emission train uses new batteries, developed by Vivarail, to combine maximum range with the ability to recharge quickly. The result is a train that can travel for up to 80 miles on battery power and recharge in only 10 minutes using Vivarail’s patented Fast Charge system.
That is an excellent range coupled with a fast turnround time.
How will other companies like CAF, Hitachi and Stadler respond?
If all battery-electric trains can reach this range, I don’t think we’ll need hydrogen for multiple units, but we will probably need it for freight and other locomotives.
LNER’s Middlesbrough And London Service Starts On December 13th
Tucked at the bottom of the article entitled LNER Tickets For Christmas Getaway in Edition 939 of Rail Magazine, there is this paragraph separated from the article by a sole bullet point.
LNER has confirmed that from December 13 it will run a new weekday service between London King’s Cross and Middlesbrough.
It has already made an appearance on Real Time Trains and I can find the following details.
- There will be one train per day (tpd)
- Intermediate stops will be at Thornaby and York.
- The Middlesbrough and London service will leave Middlesbrough from Platform 1 at 07:08 and arrive in King’s Cross at 10:22.
- The London and Middlesbrough service will leave King’s Cross at 15:25 and arrive in Middlesbrough in Platform 2 at 18:18.
These are my thoughts.
Trains Per Day
One train per day, is obviously an introductory service and like services to Harrogate and Lincoln, the number of services will ramp up to perhaps four or five tpd, if the demand is there and the paths and trains are available.
Journey Times
Consider
- The Southbound journey takes three hours and fourteen minutes with a time of two hours and nine minutes between York and King’s Cross
- The Northbound journey takes two hours and fifty-three minutes with a time of one hour and fifty-six minutes between King’s Cross and York.
- Some services between King’s Cross and York are as fast as one hour and forty-eight minutes.
- Middlesbrough and York seems to take around 52-58 minutes.
- These Middlesbrough and York timings are consistent with TransPennine Express.
- Digital signalling could offer savings in journey time between York and London.
I think it is very likely as the timetable improves, that timings between Middlesbrough and London could be around two hours and forty minutes.
Electrification
The route is fully electrified except for between Middlesbrough and Longlands Junction, where it joins the electrification of the East Coast Main Line, which is a distance of twenty-two miles.
Hitachi are developing a battery-train, which they call the Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, which is described in this Hitachi infographic.
Note.
- LNER’s current Class 800 trains will probably be able to be converted to this train.
- A range on battery power of upwards of forty miles would be expected.
If the range on battery-power can be stretched to perhaps sixty miles, this train should be capable of serving Middlesbrough without the need for any extra charging at the terminus.
I am sure Hitachi would like to see their battery-electric trains running between King’s Cross and Middlesbrough, as it would be an ideal route on which to show the trains to prospective customers, given that their factory is at Newton Aycliffe.
Conclusion
This could be good demonstration battery-electric service for Hitachi and LNER.
Lumo: Why Won’t The New Train Service Stop At Yorkshire Stations?
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Yorkshire Post.
This is the first article, I’ve found about Lumo, that has a negative headline.
The reason is probably very simple, in that most Lumo services are planned to stop at only at Newcastle and Morpeth, with two services having an extra stop Stevenage.
They are intending to run the service in as short a time as possible between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh.
As each stop has a time penalty, not stopping in Yorkshire will give potential to go cut the journey time.
But the positive message that comes from the writer of the Yorkshire Post article is that Yorkshire likes the concept.
This paragraph is their take on the service.
The goal is to encourage a more environmentally friendly mode of transportation and affordable travel. Lumo will provide low-carbon emissions, affordable long-distance travel for more than one million passengers every year.
Perhaps they would like their own Yorkshire flyer.
The obvious way for this to happen would be for the Open Access operator; Grand Central to convert themselves into a train operator like Lumo.
- The ten diesel Class 180 trains would be replaced by new electric trains.
- The trains would need a 140 mph capability under digital signalling to fit in with the plans of Network Rail, LNER and Lumo to create a top-class high-speed high-capacity East Coast Main Line.
- The trains would need a battery capability as Grand Central’s routes are not fully electrified.
- They could copy Lumo’s green marketing philosophy, ticketing and catering offering.
As to the trains, I’m sure that Hitachi could offer a version of their Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, the specification of which is shown in this Hitachi infographic.
The trains would need a range of fifty miles on battery-power.
Charging facilities wold be needed at Bradford Interchange and Sunderland stations, as neither has suitable 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
Conclusion
The conversion of Grand Central to work on the Lumo model is possible and as the trains will need to be changed to zero-carbon ones soon to meet decarbonisation objectives, I would suspect that at least that will happen.
Battery-Electric Trains And The TransPennine Upgrade
In Is There Going To Be Full Electrification Between Leeds And Huddersfield?, I showed this map of the TransPennine Upgrade between Huddersfield and Westtown near Dewsbury.
Note.
- There will be electrification between Dewsbury and Huddersfield.
- Tracks will be doubled from two to four.
- Ravensthorpe, Mirfield, Deighton and Huddersfield stations will be electrified and probably upgraded.
- Dewsbury and Huddersfield stations are eight miles apart.
This page on the Network Rail website gives more information.
Click on Huddersfield and Westtown (Dewsbury) and you get this information.
On 31 March 2021, we submitted a Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) application to the Secretary of State for Transport for the Huddersfield to Westtown (Dewsbury) scheme.
Throughout this eight-mile section of the route, we’re proposing to double the number of tracks from two-to-four, electrify from Huddersfield to Dewsbury and make big improvements to the four stations in this section – Huddersfield, Deighton, Mirfield and Ravensthorpe; where we also need to separate the lines going to/from Leeds from the lines going to/from Wakefield, with either a bridge or a tunnel.
It is a much larger scheme than the one between Bolton and Wigan, which I wrote about in Bolton-Wigan £78m Rail Electrification Project Announced.
- Huddersfield-Westtown is eight miles, whereas Bolton-Wigan is 6.5 miles.
- Both involve upgrading four stations.
- Both involve full electrification.
- Huddersfield-Westtown involves doubling the number of tracks, whereas Bolton-Wigan needs little work to the track.
- Huddersfield-Westtown will need a bridge or a tunnel, whereas Bolton-Wigan might need minor work to a couple of flat junctions.
- Huddersfield station is Grade 1 Listed, whereas Wigan Wallgate station has some good features.
- The Huddersfield-Westtown scheme is costed at £2.9 billion, whereas Bolton-Wigan is just £78 million.
The Huddersfield-Westtown scheme is thirty-seven times larger in terms of money.
What Passenger Services Use The Route Between Huddersfield And Dewsbury?
These services use the route, all or in part.
- Northern Trains – Wigan Wallgate and Leeds via Manchester Victoria, Hebden Bridge, Brighouse, Mirfield, Ravensthorpe and Dewsbury – 1 tph
- Northern Trains – Huddersfield and Castleford via Deighton, Mirfield and Wakefield Kirkgate – 1 tph
- TransPennine Express – Liverpool Lime Street and Scarborough via Manchester Victoria, Stalybridge, Huddersfield and Leeds – 1 tph
- TransPennine Express – Manchester Airport and Redcar Central via Manchester Victoria, Stalybridge, Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Leeds – 1 tph
- TransPennine Express – Liverpool Lime Street and Edinburgh via Manchester Victoria, Huddersfield and Leeds – 1 tph
- TransPennine Express – Manchester Airport and Newcastle via Manchester Victoria, Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Leeds – 1 tph
- TransPennine Express – Manchester Piccadilly and Hull via Stalybridge, Huddersfield and Leeds – 1 tph
- TransPennine Express – Huddersfield and Leeds via Deighton, Mirfield, Ravensthorpe and Dewsbury – 1 tph
Note.
- All trains are one train per hour (tph)
- Three tph run non-stop between Huddersfield and Leeds.
- Two tph stop at Deighton station, Mirfield and Ravensthorpe.
After completion of the Huddersfield and Westtown upgrade, there will be electrification at the following places.
- West of Manchester Victoria station
- Between Huddersfield and Westtown
- Between Leeds and York – Currently being electrified between York and Church Fenton.
And these routes will not be electrified.
- Dewsbury and Leeds – 9.2 miles
- Leeds and Hull – 51.5 miles
- Mirfield and Castleford – 16 miles
- Manchester Piccadilly and Stalybridge – Could be electrified – 7.5 miles
- Manchester Victoria and Heaton Lodge Junction via Hebden Bridge – 47.4 miles
- Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge – Could be electrified – 7.7 miles
- Redcar Central and Northallerton – 28.1 miles
- Stalybridge and Huddersfield – 18 miles
- York and Scarborough – 42.1 miles
Note that all routes except Mirfield and Castleford and Leeds and Hull have electrification at both ends.
Which Routes Between Huddersfield And Westtown Could Be Handled By Battery-Electric Trains?
I will assume that operators will have a battery-electric train capable of running 56 miles on batter ypower. This distance comes from Hitachi’s specification for the Hitachi Regional Battery Train, which is shown in this Hitachi infographic.
These are the routes and my answers.
Northern Trains – Wigan Wallgate and Leeds
The longest section without electrification is Manchester Victoria and Heaton Lodge Junction via Hebden Bridge, which is 47.4 miles.
I am sure this route is possible with battery-electric trains.
Northern Trains – Huddersfield and Castleford
The longest section without electrification is Mirfield and Castleford, which is 16 miles.
But it must be handled on both an out and back basis. So the train will cover 32 miles on battery power.
I am sure this route is possible with battery-electric trains.
TransPennine Express – Liverpool Lime Street and Scarborough
The longest section without electrification to the West of Leeds, is Manchester Victoria and Huddersfield, which is 25.7 miles.
At the Eastern end, as York and Scarborough is 42.1 miles without electrification, there would need to be some electrification or a charging system at Scarborough station.
I am sure this route is possible with battery-electric trains.
TransPennine Express – Manchester Airport and Redcar Central
The longest section without electrification to the West of Leeds,is Manchester Victoria and Huddersfield, which is 25.7 miles.
At the Eastern end, as Northallerton and Redcar Central is 28.1 miles without electrification, there may need to be some electrification or a charging system at Redcar Central station.
I am sure this route is possible with battery-electric trains.
TransPennine Express – Liverpool Lime Street and Edinburgh
The longest section without electrification is Manchester Victoria and Huddersfield, which is 25.7 miles.
Leeds and Edinburgh is fully electrified.
I am sure this route is possible with battery-electric trains.
TransPennine Express – Manchester Airport and Newcastle
The longest section without electrification is Manchester Victoria and Huddersfield, which is 25.7 miles.
Leeds and Newcastle is fully electrified.
I am sure this route is possible with battery-electric trains.
TransPennine Express – Manchester Piccadilly and Hull
The longest section without electrification to the West of Leeds, is Manchester Victoria and Huddersfield, which is 25.5 miles.
At the Eastern end, as Leeds and Hull is 51.5 miles, there would need to be some electrification or a charging system at Hull station.
I am sure this route is possible with battery-electric trains.
TransPennine Express – Huddersfield and Leeds
The longest section without electrification is Dewsbury and Leeds, which is 9.2 miles.
I am sure this route is possible with battery-electric trains.
Handling The Eastern Ends
At Hull, Redcar Central and Scarborough stations, there will need to be some means to recharge the trains, so they can get back to the electrification on the East Coast Main Line.
There could either be a short length of 25 KVAC overhead electrification or a special-purpose charging station.
There would need to be an allowance in the turnback, of perhaps 10-15 minutes to make sure trains started back with full batteries.
Will Huddersfield And Westtown Be Long Enough To Charge A Battery-Electric Train?
I have looked at train times between Huddersfield And Westtown and typically trains take around 11-12 minutes to go between Huddersfield and Dewsbury stations.
That should probably be enough, especially, as the trains will probably be using regenerative braking to batteries at any station stops.
Conclusion
I am absolutely certain that by completing the TransPennine Upgrade with full electrification between Huddersfield and Westtown, that all passenger services through the section could be run by battery-electric trains with a range of ninety kilometres or fifty-six miles.
There would probably need to be some electrification or a charging system at Hull, Redcar Central and Scarborough stations.
A Thought On Short Sections Of Electrification
As with the Bolton-Wigan scheme to the West of the Pennines, a length of electrified track that is less than ten miles, allows several services to be run by battery-electric trains and decarbonised.
How many other sections of less than ten miles of electrification can transform train services and reduce the use of diesel around the UK, by the introduction of fleets of battery-electric trains?
Thoughts On CAF’s Battery-Electric Class 331 Trains
I first wrote about CAF’s battery-electric trains in Northern’s Battery Plans, where I describe how CAF and Northern are planning to convert a number of three-car Class 331 trains into four-car battery-electric trains.
- The fourth car would contain batteries.
- Batteries would also be added to the PTS (pantograph) car.
I suspect that the battery range could be arranged so that all Northern’s routes suitable for battery-electric operation could be handled.
These are my thoughts.
How Much Would The Conversion Cost?
I will first make rough estimate of what the extra car would cost.
Northern placed a £500 million order for the following trains.
- 31 x three-car Class 331 trains
- 12 x four-car Class 331 trains
- 25 x two-car Class 195 trains
- 33 x three-car Class 195 trains
This is a total of 290 trains.
So on a rough estimate, each car will cost around £1.72 million.
As batteries would also be added to the pantograph car, the cost of updating a three-car train to a four-car battery-electric train would probably be around two million.
Why Are CAF Proposing A Four-Car Train With Two Battery Cars?
When I first read about CAF’s and Northern’s plans, I wondered, why CAF were also putting batteries in the pantograph car, as surely, with their extensive experience with battery-powered trains, CAF could fit enough batteries into one battery-car for a reasonable range, as Bombardier did seven years ago.
Having done all the calculations around Wigan and Bolton in Bolton-Wigan £78m Rail Electrification Project Announced, I suspect that CAF and Northern want a trans-Pennine range, so they can compete with TransPennine Express.
Two cars with batteries is probably needed for that.
Could The Three-Car Trains Be Converted To Three-Car Battery-Electric Trains?
But there is a collateral benefit of putting batteries in the pantograph car.
I suspect that in a four-car Class 331 trains have a trans-Pennine range, which between Manchester Victoria and Leeds stations is 50.2 miles and between Carlisle and Newcastle stations is 61.5 miles. So let’s say that the four-car Class 331 train with two battery packs has a range of 70 miles.
So what would be the range of a three-car train with one battery pack.
One battery pack would only take a four-car train 35 miles, so a single battery pack would contain 140 car-miles of electricity.
If a single-battery were to be fitted to the pantograph car of a three-car train, 140 car-miles would give a range of 46.7 miles.
My conclusion about the Bolton and Wigan electrification in Bolton-Wigan £78m Rail Electrification Project Announced, was as follows.
This electrification of just 6.5 miles of double-track between Lostock junction and Wigan Wallgate station seems to be one of the smaller electrification projects.
But on closer examination, when linked to a fleet of battery-electric trains with a range of perhaps forty miles, the electrification enables battery-electric trains to run these services.
- Southport And Alderley Edge
- Southport And Stalybridge
- Kirkby And Manchester Victoria
With a charging station in Blackburn station, then the Wigan Wallgate And Blackburn service can be added.
All these four services could be run by three-car battery-electric Class 331 trains. And if the services are to be run by six-car trains, a pair can be coupled up.
What Would Be The Range Of A Four-Car Battery-Electric Train With Only One Battery?
If I’m right that a four-car battery-electric Class with two batteries has a range of seventy miles across the Pennines, then a train with one battery should be able to manage 35 miles.
Conclusion
It sounds like the Spanish might have come up with a cunning plan, that might be able to convert both three- and four-car Class 331 trains to battery-electric operation.
By adding a battery to the pantograph car, this enables a four-car battery-electric train with a trans-Pennine range.
Summing up the various options gives the following ranges.
- Three-car battery-electric train with one battery pack – 46.7 miles
- Four-car battery-electric train with one battery pack – 35 miles
- Four-car battery-electric train with two battery packs – 70 miles
I’m impressed.
Stadler FLIRT Akku Battery Train Demonstrates 185km Range
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway-News.
This is the first paragraph.
Stadler’s offering in the battery-powered rolling stock market, the FLIRT Akku has demonstrated a guaranteed range of 185km, even in energy-intensive conditions, it has been found following a three-year research period.
The range is very good and is over twice what Hitachi are claiming with the Hitachi Regional Battery Train.
I can’t find out many details of the size of a Flirt Akku train, but this article on the International Railway Journal has these details.
- A picture shows a three-car train.
- The trains have a 100 mph operating speed.
- Fifty-five two-car trains are on order for Schleswig-Holstein.
Stadler can also fit batteries into trains like Greater Anglia’s Class 755 trains.
There have been reports of these trains being fitted with batteries in a couple of years to reduce carbon emissions.
The Anonymous Widower 