Hitachi Targets Next Year For Testing Of Tri-Mode IET
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Magazine.
This is the first two paragraphs.
Testing of a five-car Hitachi Class 802/0 tri-mode unit will begin in 2022, and the train could be in traffic the following year.
It is expected that the train will save more than 20% of fuel on Great Western Railway’s London Paddington-Penzance route.
This is the Hitachi infographic, which gives the train’s specification.
I have a few thoughts and questions.
Will The Batteries Be Charged At Penzance?
Consider.
- It is probably not a good test of customer reaction to the Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, if it doesn’t work on batteries in stations through Cornwall.
- Every one of the eight stops in Cornwall will need an amount of battery power.
- London trains seem to take at least half-an-hour to turn round at Penzance.
- London trains seem to take around 7-13 minutes for the stop at Plymouth.
So I think, that batteries will probably need to be charged at Penzance and possibly Plymouth, to achieve the required battery running,
There is already sufficient time in the timetable.
A charging facility in Penzance station would be a good test of Hitachi’s method to charge the trains.
Will Hyperdrive Innovation’s Battery Pack Be A Simulated Diesel Engine?
At the age of sixteen, for a vacation job, I worked in the Electronics Laboratory at Enfield Rolling Mills.
It was the early sixties and one of their tasks was at the time replacing electronic valve-based automation systems with new transistor-based systems.
The new equipment had to be compatible to that which it replaced, but as some were installed in dozens of places around the works, they had to be able to be plug-compatible, so that they could be quickly changed. Occasionally, the new ones suffered infant-mortality and the old equipment could just be plugged back in, if there wasn’t a spare of the new equipment.
So will Hyperdrive Innovation’s battery-packs have the same characteristics as the diesel engines that they replace?
- Same instantaneous and continuous power output.
- Both would fit the same mountings under the train.
- Same control and electrical power connections.
- Compatibility with the trains control computer.
I think they will as it will give several advantages.
- The changeover between diesel engine and battery pack could be designed as a simple overnight operation.
- Operators can mix-and-match the number of diesel engines and battery-packs to a given route.
- As the lithium-ion cells making up the battery pack improve, battery capacity and performance can be increased.
- If the computer, is well-programmed, it could reduce diesel usage and carbon-emissions.
- Driver conversion from a standard train to one equipped with batteries, would surely be simplified.
As with the diesel engines, all battery packs could be substantially the same across all of Hitachi’s Class 80x trains.
How Many Trains Can Eventually Be Converted?
Great Western Railway have twenty-two Class 802/0 trains.
- They are five-cars.
- They have three diesel engines in cars 2, 3 and 4.
- They have a capacity of 326 passengers.
- They have an operating speed of 125 mph on electrification.
- They will have an operating speed of 140 mph on electrification with in-cab ERTMS digital signalling.
- They have an operating speed of 110 mph on diesel.
- They can swap between electric and diesel mode at line speed.
Great Western Railway also have these trains that are similar.
- 14 – nine-car Class 802/1 trains
- 36 – five-car Class 800/0 trains
- 21 – nine-car Class 800/3 trains
Note.
- The nine-car trains have five diesel engines in cars 2,3, 5, 7 and 8
- All diesel engines are similar, but those in Class 802 trains are more powerful, than those in Class 800 trains.
This is a total of 93 trains with 349 diesel engines.
In addition, there are these similar trains in service or on order with other operators.
- LNER – 13 – nine-car Class 800/1 trains
- LNER – 10 – five-car Class 800/2 trains
- LNER – 12 – five-car Class 801/1 trains
- LNER – 30 – nine-car Class 801/2 trains
- TransPennine Express – 19 – five-car Class 802/2 trains
- Hull Trains – 5 – five-car Class 802/3 trains
- East Coast Trains – 5 – five-car Class 803 trains
- Avanti West Coast – 13 – five-car Class 805 trains
- Avanti West Coast – 10 – seven-car Class 807 trains
- East Midland Railway – 33 – five-car Class 810 trains
Note.
- Class 801 trains have one diesel engine for emergency power.
- Class 803 trains have no diesel engines, but they do have a battery for emergency power.
- Class 805 trains have an unspecified number of diesel engines. I will assume three.
- Class 807 trains have no batteries or diesel engines.
- Class 810 trains have four diesel engines.
This is a total of 150 trains with 395 diesel engines.
The Rail Magazine finishes with this paragraph.
Hitachi believes that projected improvements in battery technology, particularly in power output and charge, could enable diesel engines to be incrementally replaced on long-distance trains.
Could this mean that most diesel engines on these Hitachi trains are replaced by batteries?
Five-Car Class 800 And Class 802 Trains
These trains are mainly regularly used to serve destinations like Bedwyn, Cheltenham, Chester, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Hull, Lincoln, Oxford and Shrewsbury, which are perhaps up to fifty miles beyond the main line electrification.
- They have three diesel engines, which are used when there is no electrification.
- I can see many other destinations, being added to those reached by the Hitachi trains, that will need similar trains.
I suspect a lot of these destinations can be served by five-car Class 800 and Class 802 trains, where a number of the diesel engines are replaced by batteries.
Each operator would add a number of batteries suitable for their routes.
There are around 150 five-car bi-mode Hitachi trains in various fleets in the UK.
LNER’s Nine-Car Class 800 Trains
These are mainly used on routes between London and the North of Scotland.
In LNER Seeks 10 More Bi-Modes, I suggested that to run a zero-carbon service to Inverness and Aberdeen, LNER might acquire rakes of carriages hauled by zero-carbon hydrogen electric locomotives.
- Hydrogen power would only be used North of the current electrification.
- Scotland is looking to have plenty of hydrogen in a couple of years.
- No electrification would be needed to be erected in the Highlands.
- InterCity 225 trains have shown for forty years, that locomotive-hauled trains can handle Scottish services.
- I also felt that the trains could be based on a classic-compatible design for High Speed Two.
This order could be ideal for Talgo to build in their new factory at Longannet in Fife.
LNER’s nine-car Class 800 trains could be converted to all-electric Class 801 trains and/or moved to another operator.
There is also the possibility to fit these trains with a number of battery packs to replace some of their five engines.
If the planned twenty percent fuel savings can be obtained, that would be a major improvement on these long routes.
LNER’s Class 801 Trains
These trains are are all-electric, but they do have a diesel engine for emergencies.
Will this be replaced by a battery pack to do the same job?
- Battery packs are probably cheaper to service.
- Battery packs don’t need diesel fuel.
- Battery packs can handle regenerative braking and may save electricity.
The installation surely wouldn’t need too much test running, as a lot of testing will have been done in Class 800 and Class 802 trains.
East Coast Trains’ Class 803 Trains
These trains have a slightly different powertrain to the Class 801 trains. Wikipedia says this about the powertrain.
Unlike the Class 801, another non-bi-mode AT300 variant which despite being designed only for electrified routes carries a diesel engine per unit for emergency use, the new units will not be fitted with any, and so would not be able to propel themselves in the event of a power failure. They will however be fitted with batteries to enable the train’s on-board services to be maintained, in case the primary electrical supplies would face a failure.
The trains are in the process of being built, so I suspect batteries can be easily fitted.
Could it be, that all five-car trains are identical body-shells, already wired to be able to fit any possible form of power? Hitachi have been talking about fitting batteries to their trains since at least April 2019, when I wrote, Hitachi Plans To Run ScotRail Class 385 EMUs Beyond The Wires.
- I suspect that Hitachi will use a similar Hyperdrive Innovation design of battery in these trains, as they are proposing for the Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train.
- If all trains fitted with diesel engines, use similar MTU units, would it not be sensible to only use one design of battery pack?
- I suspect, that as the battery on a Class 803 train, will be mainly for emergency use, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that these trains could be the first to run in the UK, with a battery.
- The trains would also be simpler, as they are only battery-electric and not tri-mode. This would make the software easier to develop and test.
If all trains used the same battery pack design, then all features of the pack, would be available to all trains to which it was fitted.
Avanti West Coast’s Class 805 Trains
In Hitachi Trains For Avanti, which was based on an article with the same time in the January 2020 Edition of Modern Railways, I gave this quote from the magazine article.
Hitachi told Modern Railways it was unable to confirm the rating of the diesel engines on the bi-modes, but said these would be replaceable by batteries in future if specified.
Note.
- Hitachi use diesel engines with different ratings in Class 800 and Class 802 trains, so can probably choose something suitable.
- The Class 805 trains are scheduled to be in service by 2022.
- As they are five-cars like some Class 800 and Class 802 trains will they have the same basic structure and a powertrain with three diesel engines in cars 2, 3 and 4?
I think shares a basic structure and powertrain will be very likely, as there isn’t enough time to develop a new train.
I can see that as Hitachi and Great Western Railway learn more about the performance of the battery-equipped Class 802 trains on the London and Penzance route, that batteries could be added to Avanti West Coast’s Class 805 trains. After all London Euston and North Wales and London Paddington and Cornwall are routes with similar characteristics.
- Both routes have a high speed electrified section out of London.
- They have a long section without electrification.
- Operating speeds on diesel are both less than 100 mph, with sections where they could be as low as 75 mph.
- The Cornish route has fifteen stops and the Welsh route has seven, so using batteries in stations will be a welcome innovation for passengers and those living near the railway.
As the order for the Avanti West Coast trains was placed, whilst Hitachi were probably designing their battery electric upgrade to the Class 800 and Class 802 trains, I can see batteries in the Class 805 trains becoming an early reality.
In Hitachi Trains For Avanti, I also said this.
Does the improvement in powertrain efficiency with smaller engines running the train at slower speeds help to explain this statement from the Modern Railways article?
Significant emissions reduction are promised from the elimination of diesel operation on electrified sections as currently seen with the Voyagers, with an expected reduction in CO2 emissions across the franchise of around two-thirds.
That is a large reduction, which is why I feel, that efficiency and batteries must play a part.
Note.
- The extract says that they are expected savings not an objective for some years in the future.
- I have not done any calculations on how it might be achieved, as I have no data on things like engine size and expected battery capacity.
- Hitachi are aiming for 20 % fuel and carbon savings on London Paddington and Cornwall services.
- Avanti West Coast will probably only be running Class 805 trains to Chester, Shrewsbury and North Wales.
- The maximum speed on any of the routes without electrification is only 90 mph. Will less powerful engines be used to cut carbon emissions?
As Chester is 21 miles, Gobowen is 46 miles, Shrewsbury is 29.6 miles and Wrexham General is 33 miles from electrification, could these trains have been designed with two diesel engines and a battery pack, so that they can reach their destinations using a lot less diesel.
I may be wrong, but it looks to me, that to achieve the expected reduction in CO2 emissions, the trains will need some radical improvements over those currently in service.
Avanti West Coast’s Class 807 Trains
In the January 2020 Edition of Modern Railways, is an article, which is entitled Hitachi Trains For Avanti.
This is said about the ten all-electric Class 807 trains for Birmingham, Blackpool and Liverpool services.
The electric trains will be fully reliant on the overhead wire, with no diesel auxiliary engines or batteries.
It may go against Hitachi’s original design philosophy, but not carrying excess weight around, must improve train performance, because of better acceleration.
I believe that these trains have been designed to be able to go between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street stations in under two hours.
I show how in Will Avanti West Coast’s New Trains Be Able To Achieve London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street In Two Hours?
Consider.
- Current London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street timings are two hours and thirteen or fourteen minutes.
- I believe that the Class 807 trains could perhaps be five minutes under two hours, with a frequency of two trains per hour (tph)
- I have calculated in the linked post, that only nine trains would be needed.
- The service could have dedicated platforms at London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street.
- For comparison, High Speed Two is promising one hour and thirty-four minutes.
This service would be a Marketing Manager’s dream.
I can certainly see why they won’t need any diesel engines or battery packs.
East Midland Railway’s Class 810 Trains
The Class 810 trains are described like this in their Wikipedia entry.
The Class 810 is an evolution of the Class 802s with a revised nose profile and facelifted end headlight clusters, giving the units a slightly different appearance. Additionally, there will be four diesel engines per five-carriage train (versus three on the 800s and 802s), and the carriages will be 2 metres (6.6 ft) shorter.
In addition, the following information has been published about the trains.
- The trains are expected to be capable of 125 mph on diesel.
- Is this speed, the reason for the fourth engine?
- It is planned that the trains will enter service in 2023.
I also suspect, that like the Class 800, Class 802 and Class 805 trains, that diesel engines will be able to be replaced with battery packs.
Significant Dates And A Possible Updating Route For Hitachi Class 80x Trains
I can put together a timeline of when trains are operational.
- 2021 – Class 803 trains enter service.
- 2022 – Testing of prototype Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train
- 2022 – Class 805 trains enter service.
- 2022 – Class 807 trains enter service.
- 2023 – First production Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train enters service.
- 2023 – Class 810 trains enter service.
Note.
- It would appear to me, that Hitachi are just turning out trains in a well-ordered stream from Newton Aycliffe.
- As testing of the prototype Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train proceeds, Hitachi and the operators will learn how, if batteries can replace some or even all of the diesel engines, the trains will have an improved performance.
- From about 2023, Hitachi will be able to design tri-mode trains to fit a customer’s requirements.
- Could the powertrain specification of the Class 810 trains change, in view of what is shown by the testing of the prototype Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train?
- In parallel, Hyperdrive Innovation will be building the battery packs needed for the conversion.
Batteries could be fitted to the trains in three ways,
- They could be incorporated into new trains on the production line.
- Batteries could be fitted in the depots, during a major service.
- Trains could be returned to Newton Aycliffe for battery fitment.
Over a period of years as many trains as needed could be fitted with batteries.
Conclusion
I believe there is a plan in there somewhere, which will convert many of Hitachi’s fleets of trains into tri-mode trains with increased performance, greater efficiency and less pollution and carbon emissions.
Possible Destinations For An Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train
Currently, the following routes are run or are planned to be run by Hitachi’s Class 800, 802, 805 and 810 trains, where most of the route is electrified and sections do not have any electrification.
- Avanti West Coast – Euston and Chester – 21 miles
- Avanti West Coast – Euston and Shewsbury – 29.6 miles
- Avanti West Coast – Euston and Wrexham General – 33 miles
- Grand Central – Kings Cross and Sunderland – 47 miles
- GWR – Paddington and Bedwyn – 13.3 miles
- GWR – Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads- 24.5 miles
- GWR – Paddington and Cheltenham – 43.3 miles
- GWR – Paddington and Great Malvern – 76 miles
- GWR – Paddington and Oxford – 10.4 miles
- GWR – Paddington and Penzance – 252 miles
- GWR – Paddington and Swansea – 45.7 miles
- Hull Trains – Kings Cross and Hull – 36 miles
- LNER – Kings Cross and Harrogate – 18.5 miles
- LNER – Kings Cross and Huddersfield – 17 miles
- LNER – Kings Cross and Hull – 36 miles
- LNER – Kings Cross and Lincoln – 16.5 miles
- LNER – Kings Cross and Middlesbrough – 21 miles
- LNER – Kings Cross and Sunderland – 47 miles
Note.
- The distance is the length of line on the route without electrification.
- Five of these routes are under twenty miles
- Many of these routes have very few stops on the section without electrification.
I suspect that Avanti West Coast, Grand Central, GWR and LNER have plans for other destinations.
A Battery Electric Train With A Range of 56 Miles
Hitachi’s Regional Battery Train is deescribed in this infographic.
The battery range is given as 90 kilometres or 56 miles.
This battery range would mean that of the fifteen destinations I proposed, the following could could be achieved on a full battery.
- Chester
- Shewsbury
- Wrexham General
- Bedwyn
- Bristol Temple Meads
- Cheltenham
- Oxford
- Swansea
- Hull
- Harrogate
- Huddersfield
- Lincoln
- Middlesbrough
Of these a return trip could probably be achieved without charging to Chester, Shrewsbury, Bedwyn, Bristol Temple Meads, Oxford, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Lincoln and Middlesbrough.
- 86.7 % of destinations could be reached, if the train started with a full battery
- 60 % of destinations could be reached on an out and back basis, without charging at the destination.
Only just over a quarter of the routes would need, the trains to be charged at the destination.
Conclusion
It looks to me, that Hitachi have done some analysis to determine the best battery size. But that is obviously to be expected.
Thoughts On Batteries In East Midland Railway’s Class 810 Trains
Since Hitachi announced the Regional Battery Train in July 2020, which I wrote about in Hyperdrive Innovation And Hitachi Rail To Develop Battery Tech For Trains, I suspect things have moved on.
This is Hitachi’s infographic for the Regional Battery Train.
Note.
- The train has a range of 90 km/56 miles on battery power.
- Speed is given at between 144 kph/90 mph and 162 kph/100 mph
- The performance using electrification is not given, but it is probably the same as similar trains, such as Class 801 or Class 385 trains.
- Hitachi has identified its fleets of 275 trains as potential early recipients.
It is also not stated how many of the three diesel engines in a Class 800 or Class 802 trains will be replaced by batteries.
I suspect if the batteries can be easily changed for diesel engines, operators will be able to swap diesel engines and battery packs according to the routes.
Batteries In Class 803 Trains
I first wrote about the Class 803 trains for East Coast Trains in Trains Ordered For 2021 Launch Of ‘High-Quality, Low Fare’ London – Edinburgh Service, which I posted in March 2019.
This sentence from Wikipedia, describes a big difference between Class 803 and Class 801 trains.
Unlike the Class 801, another non-bi-mode AT300 variant which despite being designed only for electrified routes carries a diesel engine per unit for emergency use, the new units will not be fitted with any, and so would not be able to propel themselves in the event of a power failure. They will however be fitted with batteries to enable the train’s on-board services to be maintained, in case the primary electrical supplies would face a failure.
Nothing is said about how the battery is charged. It will probably be charged from the overhead power, when it is working.
The Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train
Hitachi announced the Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train in this press release in December 2020.
This is Hitachi’s infographic for the Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train.
Note.
- The train is battery-powered in stations and whilst accelerating away.
- It says that only one engine will be replaced by batteries.
- Fuel and carbon savings of 20 % are claimed.
Nothing has been said in anything, I’ve read about these trains, as to whether there is regenerative braking to batteries. I would be very surprised if fuel and carbon savings of 20 % could be attained without regenerative braking to batteries.
In Do Class 800/801/802 Trains Use Batteries For Regenerative Braking?, I discussed the question in the title.
This is a shortened version of what I said in that post.
If you type “Class 800 regenerative braking” into Google, you will find this document on the Hitachi Rail web site, which is entitled Development of Class 800/801 High-speed Rolling Stock for UK Intercity Express Programme.
If you search for brake in the document, you find this paragraph.
In addition to the GU, other components installed under the floor of drive cars include the traction converter, fuel tank, fire protection system, and brake system.
Note that GU stands for generator unit.
The document provides this schematic of the traction system.
Note that BC which is described as battery charger.
Is that for a future traction battery or a smaller one used for hotel power as in the Class 803 train?
As a Control and Electrical Engineer, it strikes me that it wouldn’t be the most difficult problem to add a traction battery to the system.
From what Hitachi have indicated in videos, it appears that they are aiming for the battery packs to be a direct replacement for the generator unit.
Generator Unit Arrangement In Class 810 Trains
When I wrote Rock Rail Wins Again!, which was about the ordering of these trains, the reason for four engines wasn’t known.
It now appears, that the extra power is needed to get the same 125 mph performance on diesel.
The formation of a five-car Class 802 train is as follows.
DPTS-MS-MS-MC-DPTF
Note.
- The three generator units are in the three middle cars.
- The three middle cars are motored.
- The two driver cars are trailer cars.
How are Hitachi going to put four generator units into the three middle cars?
- I wonder if, the engines can be paired, with some auxiliaries like fuel-tanks and radiators shared between the generators.
- A well-designed pair might take up less space than two singles.
- A pair could go in the centre car and singles either side.
It will be interesting to see what the arrangement is, when it is disclosed.
Is there the possibility, that some of the mathematics for the Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train has indicated that a combination of generator units and battery packs can give the required 125 mph performance?
- Battery packs could need less space than diesel generators.
- Regenerative braking could be used to charge the batteries.
- How far would the train be able to travel without electrification?
- Trains would not run the diesel engines in the station.
- Could the fuel and carbon savings of 20 %, that are promised for the Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, be realised?
There may be a train buried in the mathematics, that with some discontinuous electrification could handle the East Midlands Railway Intercity services, that generates only a small amount of carbon!
Would A Mix Of Diesel Generators And Battery Packs Enable 125 mph Running?
Consider.
- The trial Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train intended for the London Paddington and Penzance route, will probably have two diesel generators and a battery pack according to what Hitachi have said in their infographic for the Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train.
- East of Plymouth some of the stretches of the route are challenging, which resulted in the development and ordering of Class 802 trains, that are more powerful, than the Class 800 trains used on easier routes.
- An Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train with two diesel generators and a battery pack, needs to be as powerful as a Class 802 train with three diesel generators.
- So effectively does that mean that in the right installation with top class controlling software, that in fast running, a battery pack can be considered equivalent to a diesel generator?
I don’t know, but if it’s possible, it does bring other advantages.
- Fuel and carbon savings of 20 %
- No diesel running in stations or whilst accelerating away.
- Better passenger environment.
Configurations of 3-plus-1 and 2-plus 2 might be possible.
Thoughts On The Design Of Hitachi’s Battery Electric Trains
If you look at a Class 800 or Class 802 train, they have underfloor diesel engines. Their powertrain is described like this in its own section in Wikipedia.
Despite being underfloor, the generator units (GU) have diesel engines of V12 formation. The Class 801 has one GU for a five to nine-car set. These provide emergency power for limited traction and auxiliaries if the power supply from the overhead line fails. The Class 800 and Class 802 bi-mode has three GU per five-car set and five GU per nine-car set. A five-car set has a GU situated under vehicles 2/3/4 and a nine-car set has a GU situated under vehicles 2/3/5/7/8.
There have been rumours of overheating.
Hitachi’s Regional Battery Train
Hitachi have teamed up with Hyperdrive Innovation to create a Regional Battery Train. There is this Press Release on the Hyperdrive Information web site, which is entitled Hitachi Rail And Hyperdrive Agreement P[ens Way For Battery Trains Across Britain.
This Hitachi infographic gives the specification.
Note, that this is a 100 mph train, with a range of 56 miles.
Typical routes would include a route like Norwich and Stansted Airport via Cambridge.
- It is 93 miles.
- There are thirty-nine miles of electrification at the Stansted Airport end.
- Norwich station is fully-electrified.
- There is just 53 miles between the Trowse swing-bridge and Ely station, that is not electrified.
Trains would charge the batteries at both ends of the route and use battery power, where no electrification exists.
There are many similar routes like this in the UK.
Hitachi have also produced this video.
My thoughts lead me to a few questions.
Are The Battery Modules Simulated Diesel Engines?
At the age of sixteen, for a vacation job, I worked in the Electronics Laboratory at Enfield Rolling Mills.
It was the early sixties and one of their tasks was at the time replacing electronic valve-based automation systems with new transistor-based systems.
The new equipment had to be compatible to that which it replaced, but as some were installed in dozens of places around the works, they had to be able to be plug-compatible, so that they could be quickly changed. Occasionally, the new ones suffered infant-mortality and the old equipment could just be plugged back in, if there wasn’t a spare of the new equipment.
Stadler have three very similar trains, that are destined for the UK.
- Class 755 trains for Greater Anglia are already in service.
- Class 231 trains for Transport for Wales are on order.
- Class 756 trains for Transport for Wales are on order.
All share the same PowerPack-in-the-Middle design, which is shown in this picture.
There are four slots in the PowerPack, with two on either side and they can all hold, either a diesel engine or a battery. Only, the Class 756 trains, are planned to have batteries at present, to make the trains tri-mode and capable of being powered by overhead electric, on-board batteries or a diesel generator.
If I was designing the battery modules to slot into the PowerPack, I and many other engineers would make the battery module deliver similar characteristics and plug compatibility to the diesel module.
The train’s control computer, would be simpler to program and debug and would use modules appropriately to drive the train according to the driver’s instructions.
This interchangeability would also give the operator lots of flexibility, in how they configured and used the trains.
So will Hyperdrive Innovation use an approach for Hitachi, where the battery module has similar characteristics and plug compatibility to the current diesel module?
I wouldn’t be surprised if they did, as it allows modules to be quickly swapped as operational needs change and the train’s computer sorts out the train’s formation and acts accordingly.
On An Hitachi Regional Battery Train Will All Diesel Engines Be Replaced With Battery Modules?
If the computer is well-programmed, it should handle any combination of diesel engines and battery modules.
Perhaps for various routes different combinations might apply.
- For maximum battery range, all modules would be batteries.
- For maximum power, all modules would be diesel engines.
- To handle some out and back routes, there might be three battery modules and a diesel engine to charge the batteries before return.
- Could perhaps one or two battery modules be fitted to avoid using the diesel engines in stations and in sensitive areas?
On some routes all diesel engines will be replaced with batteries on Battery Regional Trains, but on others there could be a mixture of both battery and diesel engines.
It should be noted that Stadler achieve the same flexibility with their PowerPack-in-the-Middle design.
Operators will like this flexibility.
What Is The Capacity Of A Battery Module?
In How Much Power Is Needed To Run A Train At 125 mph?, I calculated that an all-electric Class 801 train uses 3.42 kWh per vehicle mile.
I can do a simple estimate based on this figure.
When running on batteries the train will need less energy due to less air resistance, because it is going at 100 mph, rather than 125 mph.
- If the energy use is proportional to the speed, then at 100 mph, the energy use will be 2.73 kWh per vehicle mile.
- But if the energy use is proportional to the square of the speed, the energy use will be 2.19 kWh per vehicle mile.
I will compromise and use 2.5 kWh per vehicle mile.
Total energy needed to move a five-car train 56 miles would be 5 x 56 x 2.5 or 700 kWh, which could be three batteries of 233 kWh.
These are not outrageous sizes and the batteries could probably be of a comparable weight to the current diesel engines. So replacement wouldn’t affect the handling of the train.
In addition, the batteries would need to be large enough to hold all the regenerated by braking during a stop.
- The weight of a Class 800 train is 243 tonnes.
- It can carry 326 passengers, who probably weigh 80 Kg with baggage, bikes and buggies.
- This gives a total train weight of 269 tonnes.
- Using Omni’s Kinetic Energy Calculator, the kinetic energy at 100 mph is just 75 kWh.
- For completeness, at 125 mph, the kinetic energy is 117 kWh and at 140 mph, the kinetic energy is 146 kWh.
All these figures are small compared to the battery size needed for traction.
Will East Coast Train’s Class 803 trains Use The Same Technology?
On East Coast Trains‘s Class 803 trains, batteries will be fitted to maintain onboard services, in case of a power failure.
Have these batteries been designed by Hyperdrive Innovation, with perhaps less capacity?
As East Coast Trains’s route between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh is fully electrified, the trains probably won’t need any auxiliary traction power.
But would increasing the battery size make this possible?
Where Do Avanti West Coast Class 807 Trains Fit In?
Avanti West Coast‘s Class 807 trains are also members of the same Hitachi A-Train family.
In the January 2020 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an article, which is entitled Hitachi Trains For Avanti.
This is said about the ten all-electric AT-300 trains for Birmingham, Blackpool and Liverpool services, which have now been numbered as Class 807 trains.
The electric trains will be fully reliant on the overhead wire, with no diesel auxiliary engines or batteries.
It may go against Hitachi’s original design philosophy, but not carrying excess weight around, must improve train performance, because of better acceleration.
It may also have the wiring for a diesel engine or a battery module, should operational experience indicate one is needed.
Will All Cars Be Wired Ready For A Diesel Or Battery Module?
A five-car Class 802 train currently has a diesel engine in cars 2, 3 and 4.
The Hitachi infographic says that a Regional Battery Train has a range of 56 miles on batteries.
Let’s assume that this range applies to a Class 802 train, that has been fitted with three battery modules.
If we take Hull Trains as an example, their Class 802 trains do the following sections using their diesel engines
- Temple Hirst Junction and Beverley – 44.34 miles or 87 miles round trip
- Temple Hirst Junction and Hull – 36 miles or 72 miles round trip
These distances mean that with a 56 mile range, there needs to be some form of changing at Hull and/or Beverley.
But supposing all cars are wired to accept batteries or diesel engines. This could mean the following.
- A train with three batteries and a range of 56 miles, could fit a standard diesel engine as a range extender, which could also be used to charge the batteries at Hull or Beverley.
- A train with four batteries, could have a range of 75 miles, which with regenerative braking and precise energy-saving driving could be able to go between Temple Hirst Junction and Hull and back on battery power.
- A train with four batteries and a diesel engine,, could have a range of 75 miles on battery power. The diesel energy could be used as a range extender or to charge the batteries at Hull and/or Beverley.
- Could a train with five batteries, which could have a range of 90 miles, be able to reach Beverley and return to Temple Hirst Junction?
Note.
- I have assumed that battery range is proportional to the number of batteries.
- There must also be scope for running slower to cut the amount of energy used.
In addition, all Hull Trains schedules seem to spend fifteen minutes or more in Hull station. This would be enough time to recharge the batteries.
I’m fairly certain, that if all cars were wired for batteries or diesel engines, it would give the operators a lot of flexibility.
Running With Batteries And A Range Extender Diesel Engine
The LEVC TX taxi is described as a plug-in hybrid range extender electric vehicle, where a small petrol engine, can also be used to generate electricity to power the vehicle.
Suppose a Class 802 train was fitted with two battery modules and a diesel engine. Could the diesel act as a range extender, in the same way as the petrol engine does on the LEVC TX?
The diesel engines fitted to a Class 802 train are 700 kW, so if I’m right about the train having total battery capacity of 700 kWh, one engine would take an hour to charge the batteries.
Returning to my Hull Trains example, drivers could probably ensure that the train didn’t get stranded by judicial use of the a single diesel engine to charge the batteries, whilst running in rural areas along the route.
As there would only be one diesel engine rather than three, the noise would be much lower.
I suspect too, that a simple charger in Hull station could charge a train, as it passes through, to make sure it doesn’t get stranded in the countryside.
I suspect that a mix of batteries and diesel engines could be part of an elegant solution on some routes.
- Edinburgh and Aberdeen
- Edinburgh and Inverness
- London Kings Cross and Hull
- London Paddington and Swansea
- London St. Pancras and Sheffield.
- London St. Pancras and Nottingham
It might also be a useful configuration on some TransPennine routes.
Charging Battery Trains
Having a charger in a terminal station would open up a lot of routes to Hitachi’s battery electric trains.
At stations like Hull and Scarborough, this charger could be as simple as perhaps forty metres of 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- The train would stop in the station at the appropriate place.
- The driver would raise the pantograph.
- Charging would start.
- When the battery is fully-charged, the driver would lower the pantograph.
This procedure could be easily automated and the overhead wire could be made electrically dead, if no train is connected.
It should be noted that Hitachi have recently acquired ABB’s power grid business, as announced in this Hitachi press release which is entitled Hitachi Completes Acquisition of ABB’s Power Grids Business; Hitachi ABB Power Grids Begins Operation.
Rail is not mentioned, but mobility is. So will this move by Hitachi, strengthen their offering to customers, by also providing the systems in stations and sidings to charge the trains.
This Google Map shows Hull station, with its large roof.
Could an integrated solution involving solar panels over the station be used to power electrification to charge the trains and dome electric buses next door?
Integrated solutions powered by renewable energy would appeal to a lot of municipalities seeking to improve their carbon profile.
Conclusion
These trains will transform a lot of rail services in the UK and abroad.
Hopes Rekindled Of Full Midland Main Line Electrification
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Magazine.
This is the key section of the article.
During a House of Commons debate on transport on September 17, HS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson said in response to a question from Alex Norris (Labour/Co-op, Nottingham North): “We are currently delivering the Midland Main Line upgrade, which includes electrification from London to Kettering, with additional electrification to Market Harborough being developed.
“Further electrification of the MML is currently at an early stage, but it is being examined by Network Rail.”
Stephenson said the DfT will continue to work closely with NR on the development of a proposal that would include approaches to advancing the delivery of electrification across the route.
The title of the article, probably sums it up well.
Electrification Of The Midland Main Line
Having read lots of stories about electrification of Midland Main Line, I think the following must be born in mind.
- Electrification on the line will reach as far North as Market Harborough station.
- The route between Sheffield station and Clay Cross North Junction will be shared with High Speed Two. It will obviously need to be electrified for High Speed Two.
- The section of the Midland Main Line between Derby and Clay Cross North Junction, runs through the World Heritage Site of the Derwent Valley Mills. The Heritage Taliban will love the electrification, with a vengeance.
- Electrification through Leicester station could be tricky, as the station building and the A6 road are over the tracks and there is limited clearance. Electrification could involve major disruption to the trains for some time.
These are some of the distances involved of sections of the route that are not electrified.
- Market Harborough and Derby are 54 miles apart.
- Market Harborough and Clay Cross North Junction are 67 miles apart.
- Market Harborough and Chesterfield are 70 miles apart.
- Market Harborough and Nottingham are 44 miles apart
- Market Harborough and Leicester are 16 miles apart.
- Derby and Clay Cross North Junction are 21 miles apart.
Since 2017, when electrification for the full route was originally abandoned, there have been big changes in rolling stock technology.
The biggest change has been the development of battery trains.
Hitachi’s Regional Battery Trains
This infographic from Hitachi gives the specification for their Regional Battery Train.
Note.
- The trains have a range of 56 miles on battery power.
- The trains can cruise at 100 mph on battery power.
- Hitachi have said that all of their AT-300 trains can be converted into Regional Battery Trains.
- Trains are converted by removing the diesel engines and replacing them with battery packs.
- I suspect these battery packs look like a diesel engine in terms of control inputs and performance to the driver and the train’s computer.
It is extremely likely, that the bi-mode Class 810 trains, which are a version of the AT-300 train, that have been ordered for the Midland Main Line can be converted into Regional Battery Trains.
These trains have four diesel engines, as opposed to the Class 800 and Class 802 trains, which only have three.
These are reasons, why the trains could need four engines.
- The trains need more power to work the Midland Main Line. I think this is unlikely.
- Four engine positions gives ,more flexibility when converting to Regional Battery Trains.
- Four battery packs could give a longer range of up to 120 kilometres or 75 miles.
It could just be, that Hitachi are just being conservative, as engines can easily be removed or replaced. The fifth-car might even be fitted with all the wiring and other gubbins, so that a fifth-engine or battery pack can be added.
I suspect the train’s computer works on a Plug-And-Play principle, so when the train is started, it looks round each car to see how many diesel engines and battery packs are available and it then controls the train according to what power is available.
London St. Pancras And Sheffield By Battery Electric Train
Any battery electric train going between London St. Pancras and Sheffield will need to be charged, at both ends of the route.
- At the London end, it will use the electrification currently being erected as far as Market Harborough station.
- At the Sheffield end, the easiest way to charge the trains, would be to bring forward the electrification and updating between Sheffield station and Clay Cross North Junction, that is needed for High Speed Two.
This will leave a 67 mile gap in the electrification between Market Harborough station and Clay Cross North junction.
It looks to me, the Class 810 trains should be able to run between London St. Pancras and Sheffield, after the following projects are undertaken.
- Class 810 trains are given four battery packs and a battery range of 75 miles.
- Electrification is installed between Sheffield station and Clay Cross North Junction.
Trains would need to leave Market Harborough station going North and Clay Cross Junction going South with full batteries.
Note.
- Trains currently take over an hour to go between Chesterfield to Sheffield and then back to Chesterfield, which would be more than enough to fully charge the batteries.
- Trains currently take around an hour to go between London St. Pancras and Market Harborough, which would be more than enough to fully charge the batteries.
- Chesterfield station is only three miles further, so if power changeover, needed to be in a station, it could be performed there.
- Leeds and Sheffield are under fifty miles apart and as both stations would be electrified, London St. Pancras and Sheffield services could be extended to start and finish at Leeds.
London St. Pancras and Sheffield can be run by battery electric trains.
London St. Pancras And Nottingham By Battery Electric Train
Could a battery electric train go from Market Harborough to Nottingham and back, after being fully-charged on the hour-long trip from London?
- The trip is 44 miles each way or 88 miles for a round trip.
- Services have either three or eight stops, of which two or three respectively are at stations without electrification.
- Trains seem to take over thirty minutes to turnback at Nottingham station.
Extra power North of Market Harborough will also be needed.
- To provide hotel power for the train, during turnback at Nottingham station.
- To compensate for power losses at station stops.
If 75 miles is the maximum battery range, I doubt that a round trip is possible.
I also believe, that Hitachi must be developing a practical solution to charging a train during turnback, at a station like Nottingham, where trains take nearly thirty minutes to turnback.
If the Class 810 trains have a battery range of 75 miles, they would be able to handle the London St. Pancras and Nottingham service, with charging at Nottingham.
Conclusion
It appears that both the Nottingham and Sheffield services can be run using battery electric Class 810 trains.
- All four diesel engines in the Class 810 trains would need to be replaced with batteries.
- The route between Clay Cross North Junction and Sheffield station, which will be shared with High Speed Two, will need to be electrified.
- Charging facilities for the battery electric trains will need to be provided at Nottingham.
On the other hand using battery electric trains mean the two tricky sections of the Derwent Valley Mills and Leicester station and possibly others, won’t need to be electrified to enable electric trains to run on the East Midlands Railway network.
Will it be the first main line service in the world, run by battery electric trains?
Beeching Reversal – Increased Services To Nottingham And Leicester, via Syston And Loughborough From Melton Mowbray
This is one of the Beeching Reversal projects that the Government and Network Rail are proposing to reverse some of the Beeching cuts.
It is one of a pair of submissions from the local MP; Alicia Kearns. The other is More Stopping Services At Radcliffe-on-Trent And Bottesford Stations On The Poacher Line Between Grantham And Nottingham.
When I heard of the MP’s submissions, I wrote MP Campaigns To Extend Train Services For Melton Borough and the following uses that post as a starting point.
Wikipedia says this about services at Melton Mowbray station.
- There is an hourly off-peak service in both directions between Stansted Airport and Birmingham, that calls at Cambridge, Peterborough, Oakham and Leicester.
- East Midlands Railway and their predescessor have added services to London via Corby and to Derby and East Midlands Parkway.
When you consider, that both Bottesford and Melton Mowbray are the same Council and Parliamentary constituency, it does seem that a more direct train service is needed between Bottesford and Melton Mowbray stations.
It does seem to me that some innovative thinking is needed.
If the current plans to fulfil British Rail’s ambition of an Ivanhoe Line running from Lincoln to Burton-on-Trent via Nottingham, East Midlands Parkway, Loughborough and Leicester, are carried out, that will give important towns to the West of Leicester much better rail connections.
Given that High Speed Two is coming to East Midlands Hub station at Toton and there will be a Bedford and Leeds service run by Midlands Connect using High Speed Two classic-compatible trains, that I wrote about in Classic-Compatible High Speed Two Trains At East Midlands Hub Station, I wonder if in the interim, there should be more trains between Derby and Melton.
- Intermediate stations would be Syston, Sileby, Barrow-upon-Soar, Loughborough, East Midlands Parkway Long Eaton and Spondon.
- An hourly frequency would double the service frequency at smaller stations like Sileby and Barrow-upon-Soar.
- The Southern terminal could be Melton station, but I feel Corby or Peterborough stations would be better, as this would improve services at Oakham station. We should not forget Rutland!
- As Corby will be an electrified two-platform station with a two trains per hour (tph) service to London, this could work quite well as a Southern terminus.
- Peterborough would have advantages and give a good connection to Cambridge, London and Scotland, but improvements to the current Birmingham and Stansted Airport service would have similar effects.
This route would be just as valuable after High Speed Two opens through the East Midlands Hub station, as it will give fast ongoing connections to Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle and York.
Electrification Of The Midland Main Line
I feel strongly, that full electrification of the Midland Main Line could be a step to far.
- Electrification, through Leicester station will mean a complete closure of the station for a couple of years.
- Electrification of the route North of Derby, through the Derwent Valley Mills, which is a World Heritage Site, will be opposed by the Heritage Taliban with all their might.
But.
- Electrification of the route between Clay Cross North Junction and Sheffield via Chesterfield will take place in conjunction with High Speed Two
- Electrification to Market Harborough, which is sixteen miles South of Leicester will happen.
- East Midlands Railway’s new Class 810 trains could be fitted with a battery option giving a range of between 55 and 65 miles.
- Pantographs on these trains can go up and down with all the alacrity of a whore’s drawers.
If the easier section of electrification between Leicester and Derby stations, were to be installed, this would enable the following routes to be run using battery-equipped Class 810 trains.
- London and Derby, where battery power would be used through Leicester.
- London and Nottingham, where battery power would be used through Leicester and between East Midlands Parkway and Nottingham.
- London and Sheffield, where battery power would be used through Leicester and between Derby and Clay Cross Junction.
- Lincoln and Burton-on-Trent, where battery power would be used South of Leicester and North of East Midlands Parkway.
- Derby and Corby, where battery power would be used between Syston and Corby.
There would also be the service between Derby and Norwich, which might be able to be run by a similar train.
Conclusion
I think the ideal way to achieve the MP’s objective would be to extend a proportion of London St. Pancras and Corby services to the Midland Main Line.
But the problem with this, is that the Corby trains will be Class 360 trains, which are electric, so the thirty-six mile route between Corby and the Midland Main Line would need to be electrified.
On the other hand, a shuttle train could be used between Corby and Leicester.
They would call at Oakham, Melton Mowbray and Syston stations.
If the Midland Main Line to the North of Leicester were to be electrified, Battery electric trains could be used on the route, with charging at Leicester and Corby.
Dore And Totley Station – 13th July 2020
These pictures show Dore and Totley station.
These are my thoughts on the station and the tracks through it.
The Midland Main Line And High Speed Two
The two tracks, that are furthest away from the station platform are the Midland Main Line between Sheffield and Chesterfield, Derby and the South.
- These tracks will be taken over by High Speed Two.
- They will be electrified with 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- The trains on the Midland Main Line will continue to use the electrified tracks.
- East Midlands Railway have ordered bi-mode Class 810 trains, which will each be 120 metres long or 240 metres long, when running as a pair.
- CrossCountry’s Class 220 trains are 187 metres long running as a pair.
- I estimate that the faster trains were doing around 100 mph, as they passed Dore and Totley station. I shall measure it properly next time, I go to Sheffield on a train.
Note.
- High Speed Two’s trains will probably be going through at the same speed as East Midlands Railway’s Class 810 trains.
- High Speed Two will be running their 200 metre long classic-compatible trains to and from Sheffield, so except that there will be two more trains in every hour, there will be little difference.
- Both the High Speed Two and the East Midlands Railway trains will be running on electric power between Sheffield and Chesterfield stations.
- It is likely that other services will use electric power on the Midland Main Line.
- There will be no platforms on the High Speed tracks at Dore and Totley station.
I would suspect that there will be little disruption to train services through the area, whilst the electrification is installed, judging by the disruption caused during electrification between Bedford and Corby.
Dore Junction
Dore Junction is a triangular junction, that connects the Hope Valley Line and the Midland Main Line to the South of Dore and Totley station.
This Google Map shows Dore Junction.
Note.
- Dore and Junction station is at the North of the Map.
- Dore West Junction is in the South West corner of the map and leads to the Hope Valley Line.
- Dore South Junction is in the South East corner of the map and leads to Chesterfield on the Midland Main Line.
This second Google Map shows Dore South Junction.
Could this junction be improved to increase capacity and efficiency?
- The Southern track of the triangular junction is only single track.
- It is a major route for stone trains between Derbyshire and London and the South.
If Network Rail have any ideas for Dore Junction, then surely, when the works in the area are being carried out, is the time for them to be performed.
Platform Length At Dore And Totley Station
I took these two pictures when I arrived at Dore and Totley station.
As the train was formed of two two-car Class 150 trains and the train fits the platform, it would appear that the platform is about eighty metres long.
An Extra Platform At Dore And Totley Station
There may be no plans to put platforms on the Midland Main Line, but plans exist for an extra track through the station, that will connect to the Hope Valley Line.
This Google Map shows Dore and Totley station and the Midland Main Line.
The second platform wouldn’t be the widest platform,. but I’m sure a second track and a safe platform could be squeezed in.
- A bridge with lifts would be needed.
- The current single platform at the station is around eighty metres long, but as I said in Beeching Reversal – Sheaf Valley Stations, the platforms must be long enough to take a pair of Class 185 trains or a five-car Class 802 train, which is probably around 140 metres.
I wonder if more space is needed, the Midland Main Line could be realigned to give more space and better performance.
A Turnback At Dore And Totley Station
In Beeching Reversal – Sheaf Valley Stations, I said this about a possible turnback at Dore and Totley station.
This Google Map shows Dore & Totley station and the area to the South.
Note.
- There would appear to be a lot of space between the Midland Main Line and the single track, that leads between Dore & Totley station and the Hope Valley Line.
Flying my helicopter, as low as I dare, it looks like the area is either a rubbish dump or very low grade businesses.
Crossrail has designed turnbacks at Abbey Wood and Paddington stations, that will handle twelve tph.
I believe that it would be possible to design a turnback at Dore & Totley station, that would handle eight trains per hour, if not twelve tph.It might even be possible to squeeze in some overnight stabling.
Whilst I was at Dore and Totley station, I met a couple, who were perhaps a few years older than me, who had grown up in the area.
He could remember local steam services between Sheffield and Dore and Totley stations, where there had been a turntable to the South of the station to reverse the locomotive.
Conclusion
After what I saw on my visit to Dore and Totley station, I would suspect that the station can be updated to the standard required to allow four tph between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield stations.
It could also be a station that will attract passengers.
Hyperdrive Innovation And Hitachi Rail To Develop Battery Tech For Trains
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Engineer.
This is the introductory sub-title.
Hyperdrive Innovation and Hitachi Rail are to develop battery packs to power trains and create a battery hub in the North East of England.
The article gives this information.
- Trains can have a range of ninety kilometres, which fits well with Hitachi’s quoted battery range of 55-65 miles.
- Hitachi has identified its fleets of 275 trains as potential early recipients.
Hitachi have also provided an informative video.
At one point, the video shows a visualisation of swapping a diesel-engine for a battery pack.
As a world-class computer programmer in a previous life, I believe that it is possible to create a battery pack, that to the train’s extremely comprehensive computer, looks like a diesel-engine.
So by modifying the train’s software accordingly, the various power sources of electrification, diesel power-packs and battery packs can be used in an optimum manner.
This would enable one of East Midlands Railway’s Class 810 trains, to be fitted with a mix of diesel and battery packs in their four positions under the train.
Imagine going between London and Sheffield, after the High Speed Two electrification between Clay Cross North Junction and Sheffield has been erected.
- Between St. Pancras and Market Harborough power would come from the electrification.
- The train would leave the electrified section with full batteries
- At all stations on the route, hotel power would come from the batteries.
- Diesel power and some battery power would be used between stations. Using them together may give better performance.
- At Clay Cross North Junction, the electrification would be used to Sheffield.
For efficient operation, there would need to be electrification or some form of charging at the Sheffield end of the route. This is why, I am keen that when High Speed Two is built in the North, that the shsared section with the Midland Main Line between Clay Cross North Junction and Sheffield station, should be built early.
Hitachi have said that these trains will have four diesel engines. I think it will more likely be two diesel engines and two batteries.
The World’s First Battery-Electric Main Line
I suspect with electrification between Sheffield and Clay Cross North Junction, that a train fitted with four batteries, might even be able to run on electric power only on the whole route.
In addition, if electrification were to be erected between Leicester and East Midlands Parkway stations, all three Northern destinations would become electric power only.
The Midland Main Line would be the first battery electric high speed line in the world!
Hitachi On Hydrogen Trains
The press release about the partnership between Hitachi and Hyperdrive Innovation is on this page on the Hitachi web site.
This is a paragraph.
Regional battery trains produce zero tailpipe emission and compatible with existing rail infrastructure so they can complement future electrification. At the moment, battery trains have approximately 50% lower lifecycle costs than hydrogen trains, making battery the cheapest and cleanest alternative zero-emission traction solution for trains.
I have ridden in two battery-electric trains and one hydrogen-powered train.
I would rate them out of ten as follows.
- Class 230 train – 6 – Battery
- Class 379 train – 8 – Battery
- Coradia iLint – 4 – Hydrogen
It’s not that the iLint is a bad train, as the power system seems to work well, but the passenger experience is nowhere near the quality of the two battery trains.
In my view, battery vehicles are exceedingly quiet, so is this the reason?
On the other hand, it could just be poor engineering on the iLint.
Conclusion
This is as very big day in the development of zero- and low-carbon trains in the UK.