SNCF Voyageurs and Alstom have presented the first of five battery-powered trains to operate in regions across France.
The battery-powered train has been developed as part of a project with the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Hauts-de-France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie Pyrénées-Méditerranée and Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regions to reduce CO2 emissions on non-electrified lines in France.
Within this project, five dual-mode electric-diesel trainsets are being modified by replacing their diesel engines with batteries to become 100% electric.
The first of these battery-powered trains for the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region has now left Alstom’s Crespin site to commence dynamic tests.
“Decarbonising mobility is at the heart of Alstom’s strategy, and the battery solution completes our range of relevant solutions, along with hydrogen and hybridisation, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from mobility. In this respect, we are proud to be able to present the first battery-powered TER, developed in collaboration with SNCF Voyageurs and with the support of the five partner Regions.”
To date, the first repowered model has completed static and dynamic testing at speeds of up to 60 km/h at Alstom’s Crespin site. These tests demonstrated that its battery-powered traction mode, including the battery charging and discharging system, is working well.
Testing will now continue at the Centre d’essais ferroviaires at Bar-le-Duc, with validation and certification tests being conducted at speeds of up to 160 km/h. This phase of testing will validate various route simulation models under commercial operating conditions.
The final phase of testing is scheduled to take place on the French national railway network (RFN) in December 2023 and January 2024. These tests aim to prove that the train is compatible with the existing French infrastructure.
Ultimately, the new AGC battery regional trains are expected to enter commercial service across France from December 2024.
This project has a total budget of 40.2 million EUR, with each region contributing 5.7 million EUR, Alstom providing 5.5 million EUR, and SNCF funding 6 million EUR.
