Posted 15th January 2020 | No Comments

15 January: news in brief

Battery train sets British record

A BATTERY train from Vivarail has achieved a British first by travelling 64km on battery power alone, and the feat has been repeated many times during tests. The Class 230 units are conversions and upgrades of former London Underground D-stock cars and have been produced with several forms of motive power which also include diesel generators as well as simple electric operation. Vivarail CEO Adrian Shooter said: ‘We began our work on battery power a couple of years ago and since then we have tested the train in passenger service at Bo’ness, built the fast charge system and proved the range the train can operate.’ He is also predicting that production versions of the battery trains will be able to run for almost 100km between charges, which will take just 10 minutes. He added: ‘We look forward to providing emission-free trains and playing a significant part in decarbonising the rail network.’