Intercity battery train trial advances to TransPennine routes

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)

“TPE is dedicated to making our journeys greener by reducing our carbon footprint, creating resilience to climate change and improving local air quality.”

The battery unit can deliver peak power of over 700kW. According to information from Hitachi Rail, the pack is estimated to have a capacity of around 750kWh, though the exact figure is yet to be confirmed. 

Hitachi Rail said the trial will provide real-world evidence to inform the business case for a 100 per cent battery-electric intercity train, capable of running up to 100km in battery mode. This range would allow battery technology to cover the final non-electrified sections of Britain’s intercity routes in the coming years. Battery trains or battery-electric hybrids could also offer reduced infrastructure costs versus full electrification, by reducing the need for overhead wires in tunnel sections and over complex junctions.

“After seeing the train running entirely in battery-mode at Newton Aycliffe, I can’t wait to see how this technology can reduce emissions, reduce fuel costs and improve air quality on the Transpennine route,” said Paul Newlove, head of Green Technologies Programme at Hitachi Rail.

“This part of the trial is going to be really exciting because we start to prove the benefits of this green technology for passengers, operators and policy makers. It has been such a team effort, with colleagues in Japan, Italy and UK working together for years to finally reach this important stage.”