Hitachi and Eversholt Rail will work together to develop an intercity battery hybrid train for GWR.
The trains carry passengers between London and Penzance. Up until Bristol the line is electrified, but after that the trains have to run on diesel power. Hitachi built the 36 Intercity Express Trains (Class 802) that were introduced to the line in August 2018. It is also responsible for maintaining the fleet. Eversholt Rail meanwhile is the leasing company that owns them. Together they will create a plan to install batteries on an IET to deliver estimated fuel savings of more than 20 percent.
The plan is to have batteries replace a diesel engine as a power source on one of the five-car trains. They are currently bi-mode. This conversion would make them tri-mode (electric-diesel-battery hybrid). The batteries would supplement the diesel engines to cut down on the train’s fuel use and consequently carbon emissions. At times when the train is approaching or leaving a station and travelling through urban areas, the train could use battery power alone, which would improve the air quality in built-up areas and make the trains quieter. GWR’s Class 802 trains currently stop at 15 stations along the non-electrified route.
Hitachi reached an agreement with Hyperdrive Innovation in July 2020 for the creation and development of battery packs for mass production at Hyperdrive’s HYVE facility in Sunderland.
Hitachi says that expected improvements in battery technology, especially with regards to power output and charge, are creating opportunities to replace diesel engines on long-distance trains. Its ambition is to have a fully electric-battery train that can travel from London to Penzance by the late 2040s in order to meet the net zero by 2050 target.
“We welcome this agreement particularly as it supports our recently published Traction Decarbonisation Strategy and our commitment to supporting the UK’s 2050 net zero emissions target. It also builds on the positive impact of electrification and our ambition to deliver greener and more sustainable travel.”
French transport minister confirms to the National Assembly that France would make sure it supported Eurostar and was in talks with Britain.
There are renewed calls on the UK government to provide support to Eurostar to prevent Britain's only international rail link from folding.
Network Rail and its partners have launched the tram train pilot learning hub, a "comprehensive body of learning" that is free to access.
During the Christmas closure of London King's Cross, Network Rail engineers lifted all four tracks going into the station to divert a sewer.
HS2 has started its search for a switches and crossings supplier for Phase 1 and Phase 2a of the high-speed line between London and Crewe.
The National Infrastructure Commission has published its Rail Needs Assessment report, causing widespread dismay over possible cuts to HS2.
HS2 Ltd has revealed the first images of the north portal for the Long Itchington Wood tunnel site southeast of Birmingham.
The Mayor of London, TfL, the DfT and the treasury have agreed a funding and financing package for the final phase of Crossrail.
Northern has removed the last of its 102 Pacer trains from service, following regulations requiring rolling stock to be accessible.
Train operator Grand Central to resume services from December at a reduced level. These will be reservation-only to enable social distancing.
HS2 and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) will work together on utility diversions in readiness of the metro eastside extension.
Railtex 2021, which was to be held jointly with Infrarail in May 2021, has been postponed to 7–9 September because of COVID-19.
Reearch by City & Guilds and the National Skills Academy for Rail says the rail industry will face a critical skills shortage by 2025.
Network Rail has announced major works at Euston for the construction of the HS2 terminus and on the West Coast Main Line in 2021.
Following the funding agreement reached between TfL and goverment, consultancy work on Crossrail 2 will end, safeguarding will continue.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson's 10-Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution aims at incentivising driving and doesn't mention rail.
The University of Leeds has entered into a research collaboration worth 1 million GBP with the West Coast Parnership, which will operate HS2.
Midlands Voices report by the High Speed Rail Group says the eastern leg of HS2 up to Leeds is crucial for levelling up the country.
The second section of the Dawlish sea wall is being built using the 'Wavewalker', a floating barge that can withstand high tidal ranges.
Leeds University enters into a 10m GBP agreement with the REAL Alliance to research the electrical power supply on the East Coast Main Line.
The tunnel boring machines that will excavate the HS2 Chiltern tunnel will be equipped with robotic arms to help with the concrete segments.
A new UKRRIN research centre specialising in digital railways systems has opened at the University of Birmingham.
Eurotunnel has launched its 'Eurotunnel Border Pass' to help mitigate the impact of Brexit on cross-border freight operations.
TfL has reached a deal with the UK government over funding for the next six months following collapsed revenues due to the coronavirus crisis.
Network Rail will reopen the railway line between Aberdeen and Dundee which has been closed since August following the Stonehaven derailment.
HS2 Ltd has published the updated designs for the Canterbury Works vent shaft headhouse, which will sit above the Euston tunnel in London.
Bombardier has signed a 3-year contract extension with CrossCountry for maintenance and servicing of its Voyager and Super Voyager fleets.
HS1 Ltd has lauched its sustainability strategy, unveiling the goal of becoming the first UK railway run entirely on renewable energy.
The track repair works are getting underway at the site of the Stonehaven derailment, following the clearance of the wreckage.
London: TfL has agreed with the government that its funding package can be extended by 2 weeks as discussions about future funding continue.
Siemens Mobility has overhauled its 500th bogie at its Bogie Service Centre in Lincoln, which opened in November 2018.
The Edinburgh-Glasgow railway line was serious damaged by flooding on 12 August. Following repairs, it will reopen on 21 September.
Network Rail has published its interim report on the Stonehaven derailment as commissioned by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.
Following preparatory works, including building a 900m road and bridge over farmland, the work of recovering the derailed train can begin.
Siemens Mobility has won a contract with Transport for Wales for the renewal and replacement of signalling equipment for the Valley Lines.
Network Rail has launched a weather action task force and an earthworks management task force following the recent Stonehaven derailment.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has published an update on the Stonehaven Derailment that occurred in Scotland on 12 August.
The main line connecting Edinburgh and Glasgow has sustained serious damage following flooding from the nearby Union canal.
Network Rail Chief Executive Andrew Haines arrived at the Stonehaven derailment site and promised that immediate action would be taken.
3 people died when a Scotrail Inter7City service derailed at Stonehaven on 12 August. The BTP, ORR and RAIB are investigating the cause.
Siemens Mobility has completed the 2-year Hither Green Area Resignalling Project with the new signalling equipment now in service.
Siemens Mobility has won a contract to supply technology for the extension of the Edinburgh Tram from York Place to Newhaven.
The East Coast Main Line in the UK will become the first mainline in the country to go digital in its signalling system via ETCS.
Hitachi begins manufacturing the 5 Class 803 EMUs in its East Coast Trains order. The trains will run on the East Coast Main Line from 2021.
Transport for London (TfL) has received coronavirus bailout – a mixture of grants and loans from the government worth 1.6 billion GBP.
Network Rail is investing £113m on the West Coast Main Line as part of its Railway Upgrade Plan. This includes track renewal.
Vivarail has put its Class 230 through battery tests during which the train reliably and successfully travelled 40 miles many times.
One week after the cancellation of the new South Eastern franchise, DfT has awarded First Trenitalia with the West Coast Partnership.
The first of the 27 Class 175 DMUs manufactured by Alstom between 1999 and 2001 has been upgraded and has re-entered passenger service.
The UK government has agreed to contribute 11 million GBP in funding towards the new Institute for High Speed Rail and System Integration.
First nine trains for Northern will enter service on 1 July. These are from a total order of 101 trains with CAF, a mix of EMUs and DMUs.
CAF has been awarded a contract by TfL for 43 new driverless metro trains to operate on the DLR. The first trains will enter service in 2023.
Siemens Mobility joins Alstom and Bombardier-Hitachi in submitting a bid to design and manufacture the high-speed trains for HS2 in the UK.
Bombardier and Hitachi have unveiled the first image of their proposed HS2 train design. They will submit their bid to HS2 Ltd today.
Alstom has unveiled its design for the HS2 trains. HS2 is the new high-speed railway line for the UK. HS2 Ltd will award the contract in 2020.
One of the highlights of the Siemens Mobility stand at Railtex 2019 is the model of its new high-speed train, the Velaro Novo.
The Railway-News Industry Insider Week 18 with all the rail news from 29 Apr to 3 May, including the new 'explosion-proof' train for Tel Aviv.
A direct rail link between London and Bordeaux by 2022, reducing journey times to 5 hours between the cites, is becoming increasingly likely.
The Railway-News Industry Insider Week 15, with all the week's rail news, including problems with the ICE 4 and new trains for South Africa.
Global railway news summary: our Industry Insider week 14, with rail news from Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and the UK.
Stadler has won a contract for 71 CITYLINK tram-trains and FLIRT multiple units for the Wales & Borders franchise in the United Kingdom.
The Railway-News Industry Insider for week 8: all the latest rail news, from the Trump Administration's plans to defund CHSR to new locomotives for Poland.
The new Hitachi Class 385 electric multiple unit has entered service on additional routes in Scotland, bringing the total in operation to 31.
Changes are afoot for trains in the UK. Some of the country's oldest carriages are making way for new rolling stock in 2019. Furthermore, these upgrades are tak...
The Railway-News Industry Insider for week 50 (10–14 December 2018): all the week's important rolling stock, infrastructure, business, policy and technology n...
Rail business-to-business membership organisation, Rail Alliance, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research...
Hitachi and Bombardier have announced their plans to establish a Global High Speed Rail Learning Programme. The transport and engineering companies presented th...
Alstom, which has the task of repainting and overhauling the UK's Pendolino fleet, has announced it has just hit the halfway milestone. The fleet that is operat...
High Speed Two Ltd has announced that the Euston station demolition works are now complete: the former 250m carriage sheds have now been fully demolished so tha...
Populus was commissioned by Network Rail, the UK's rail infrastructure manager, to conduct research into drivers' behaviour around level crossings. Network Rail...
Network Rail will work ith Siemens Mobility to complete the final phase of upgrades to signalling systems in Lanarkshire, Scotland from 21 September until 25 Se...
Hitachi Rail Europe and Bombardier Transportation have committed to setting up a new bid centre in Birmingham to develop their proposal to design 54 trainsets f...
Great Britain: Network Rail has announced it is looking for a train control partner to help push forward the digital railway. It has said it wishes to find a su...
Hitachi Rail Europe and Bombardier Transportation have announced a joint bid to the HS2 Procurement Programme for the design, build and delivery a fleet of besp...
A rail milling train and two multi-purpose engineering trains are currently undergoing testing in Europe. They will be delivered to London later in 2018 prior t...
Greengauge 21 has published a report, Beyond HS2, which advocates a specific strategy to shape the railways of Great Britain in the next few decades. The report...
Department for Transport (UK) and Network Rail have announced plans to digitalise all new trains by 2019. The Digital Railway Strategy should see the Transpenni...
The Rail Industry Association in the UK has issued responses to Jo Johnson MP's statements to Transport Select Committee Inquiry on funding and electrification.
Engineering and design consultancy Ramboll UK has acquired DEG Signalling Ltd to expand its multidisciplinary support for clients in the rail industry.
The next meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Rail Group (The future of UK rail ticketing) is on the 24th of April, 2018. 17:00-18:00 in Committee Room 16. Sp...
Jointly sponsored by the Department for Transport (DfT) and TfL, the Elizabeth line is the largest infrastructure project of its kind in Europe and is now in it...
Govia Thameslink Railway, working with Network Rail and Siemens, have scored a world-first by running Automatic Train Operation (ATO) over European Train Contr...
"We are investing in the most significant modernisation of the UK rail network since Victorian times, and I want the knowledge and expertise of investors and lo...
Funding from the Department for Transportation and Innovate UK has been offered to 10 projects that will transform rail passenger travel. Supporting innovation ...
Thousands more passengers will benefit from a more extensive Night Overground as services extend to Canonbury and Highbury & Islington stations from Friday 23 F...
Bosses of Britain’s most critical industries are being warned to boost cyber security or face hefty fines for leaving themselves vulnerable to attack...
The start of Elizabeth line services, which will transform transport in London with quicker, easier and more accessible journeys, is now just a year away.
We're at the halfway point of the Periodic Review 2018 (PR18) where the ORR consults the government and other stakeholders, including Network Rail.
Bombardier Transportation has signed a contract with Porterbrook and c2c, to supply 60 new Bombardier Aventra trains for use on the United Kingdom’s...
Bombardier Transportation has signed a contract with Corelink Rail Infrastructure and West Midlands Trains, to supply 333 new Bombardier Aventra trains...
High-speed trains connecting Scotland’s seven cities are another step closer as the ScotRail Alliance welcomed the arrival of its second train this week.
The Freight Transport Association has updated its policy advice to operators in the optimisation of rail in the multimodal supply chain.
Passengers who travel on the Edinburgh to Glasgow mainline are another step closer to new electric trains, as the ScotRail Alliance successfully...
Operating at speeds of up to 225mph (360kph), the new fleet of HS2 trains will deliver unparalleled levels of reliability, speed and comfort as well as...
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling today (12 October 2017) unveiled the latest stage in the government’s record funding for Britain’s railways.
The brand new trains have a spacious design and cutting-edge information systems that will tell passengers how London’s Tube trains are running and even...
All frontline officers at British Transport Police (BTP) will soon be equipped with body worn cameras. Following a successful 12-month trial...
The Government has announced work aimed at improving accessible toilets on the railways to improve accessibility in transport for people with disabilities.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has awarded the West Midlands franchise to West Midlands Trains Ltd, a joint venture between Abellio...
Rail passengers are set for better journeys with 5 new railway stations to be built across England and Wales, the UK Government announced today.
Please fill in the contact form opposite. A member of the team will be in touch shortly.