13.08.14
Testing begins on battery-powered prototype train
Britain’s first battery-powered train is being put through its paces in a series of on-track trials to ascertain its effectiveness and robustness, Network Rail has confirmed.
Using an Abellio Greater Anglia Class 379 unit, which normally uses a pantograph, Network Rail and its industry partners – including Bombardier, Abellio Greater Anglia, FutureRailway and the Department for Transport who are co-funding – have installed six battery rafts to the full train at Bombardier’s facility in Derby, where the first on-track test runs are now taking place.
Although the Independently Powered Electric Multiple Unit (IPEMU) project is in the very early stages, the partners believe battery-powered trains could be used to bridge gaps in otherwise electrified parts of the network or be used on branch lines where it would not be cost effective to install OLE.
The battery rafts fitted to the Class 379 unit contain a battery box, isolation switch, power distribution control panel, battery charging inverter, batteries and battery monitoring system, all mounted within a bespoke, purpose-built rig. Their creation follows the successful testing of several types of battery technologies, including lithium iron magnesium and hot sodium nickel salt.
James Ambrose, Network Rail’s senior engineer leading on the IPEMU, said: “Over the next five years, Network Rail has a target to reduce the cost of running Britain’s railway by a further 20%. At the same time, we are always looking for ways to make the railway greener too. This project has the potential to contribute significantly towards both those goals.
“It’s still early days for what is an exciting and experimental project that tackles these two key objectives, but we’re thrilled to begin the next phase of testing and look forward to running the train on-track in live, high-speed tests.”
Additional battery tests are now underway at the Bombardier Mannheim facility in Germany. On-track trials of the Abellio Greater Anglia Class 379 are now underway at the test track in Derby, and high-speed running has been scheduled at the RIDC towards the end of the year.
Data gathered during the experiment will be used to determine what form any future IPEMU will take, be it a straight battery unit or hybrid. According to the project partners, any future IPEMU would most likely be designed as a new train and not an adapted unit, to minimise energy consumption – but this project will also provide useful information for retrofit.
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