GWR has agreed contracts to buy intellectual property, rolling stock and equipment relating to the development of high-performance battery and FastCharge technology designed to support wider introduction of battery-powered trains on the UK’s rail network.
The deal secures the future of planned trials of the technology in a real-world environment, which GWR was supporting between West Ealing and Greenford.
The company has also employed nine former Vivarail staff to support the trials and project development.
GWR Engineering Director Simon Green said: “We’ve been working closely with the Vivarail team on this exciting project for some time, and we are delighted we have been able to step in and make sure its important work can continue.
“There have clearly been some setbacks that mean we will need to review the existing plans and timescales, but we will continue to work with Network Rail and the Department for Transport to get the project back on track.
“This work is a key part of our commitment to reduce the carbon emissions of our train fleet with a view to removing all diesel-only traction from the network by 2040, in line with the Government’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan.”
The trial, supported by Network Rail, is due to take place on the Greenford branch line and will test Vivarail’s trackside fast-charging equipment in an operational setting for the first time.
It is hoped that the project will demonstrate that the equipment works safely and reliably in a ‘real-world’ environment.
The use of batteries for extended operation has typically been constrained by their range and meant widespread implementation has, until now, not been feasible.
Fast Charge equipment will be installed at West Ealing Station later and tested with Vivarail’s battery-only Class 230 train, first showcased at COP26 last year.
The train has a range of up to 62 miles on battery power, recharging in only 10 minutes using the Fast Charge system in off-network tests.
When the train arrives at a station it connects automatically to the Fast Charge and the batteries receive charge while the train is prepared for its next journey.
During COP26 in November last year the Vivarail train ran daily services throughout the international climate change conference in Glasgow, including an iconic trip across the Forth Bridge.
Testing on the Greenford branch line supports the Government and wider rail industry’s ambition to move towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The trial is supported by £2.15m funding from the Department for Transport’s Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline (RNEP).
Development of the Fast Charge technology also received funding from Innovate UK.
