Intercity battery train trial advances to TransPennine routes

News

The UK’s first intercity battery train trial has moved on to the rail network proper, serving TransPennine routes of York to Manchester Airport and Leeds to Liverpool Lime Street.

Hitachi Rail

Having successfully completed low speed running at Hitachi Rail’s Newton Aycliffe manufacturing facility, the retrofitted diesel/battery hybrid train will now be put through its paces across live routes. A variety of tests will take place over the next eight weeks, including the battery’s ability to improve performance on hills, regenerative charging via braking, fuel and emission savings, and zero-emission battery mode in train stations.

This is the first UK trial where a diesel engine has been replaced with a battery on an intercity train. The battery has been retrofitted onto a TransPennine Express ‘Nova 1’ train (five-carriage intercity Class 802). Project partners TransPennine Express, Angel Trains and Hitachi Rail claim the battery hybrid technology could reduce emissions and fuel costs by as much as 30 per cent.

"This trial is a huge step towards the rail industry in the UK – and around the world reducing CO2 emissions and we are excited to be part of it,” said Paul Staples, Engineering, Safety and Sustainability director at TransPennine Express (TPE)

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Hitachi Rail
Battery-powered trains