West Ealing Battery Train Trail to Begin this Spring

Great West Railway believes system could transform rail network

A train to be used in the trail. Picture: GWR

February 15, 2024

A trial of a new FastCharge battery train line is to begin in West Ealing this Spring.

The project, which is being led by Great Western Railway (GWR), has been developed by specialist engineers over the last three years. It aims to solve the problem of delivering reliable, battery-only trains capable of fulfilling timetable services on branch lines, eliminating the use of diesel traction. GWR believes it could transform UK’s railways and help future decarbonisation of branch line services.

The West Ealing trial will be the first time the technology will be used in a real-world environment. The train will charge for just 3 ½ minutes before restarting its journey on the Greenford branch line. Passengers will not be carried during the trial, but it will run alongside scheduled services.

Charging rails and lineside battery banks have been installed at West Ealing in preparation for the start of the trial. The system is capable of delivering charging power of up to 2,000kW – that’s eight times more powerful than Tesla’s Supercharger.

The use of batteries for extended operation has typically been constrained by their range and meant widespread implementation has, until now, not been possible. It also negates the need for overhead electric lines which are expensive and impact the landscape.

Unlike other charging technologies, GWR says the FastCharge system can be installed between the running rails in a matter of hours, with minimal disruption to the existing service or, in the case of West Ealing, no disruption at all.

It uses short charge rails which are fully covered by the train and are only live when the train is charging. This is very different to third-rail systems where the rail is live all the time and is arguably a safer approach to take.

The train charges from the charge rails using retractable shoegear (electrical contact pads) fed by two track-side battery banks. These are continuously ‘trickle-charged’ from the grid with a 63 Amp connection akin to a domestic supply.

GWR has already carried out simulations on other branch lines in the Thames Valley to explore how it could be rolled out even further in the future.

When the project was initiated two years ago, GWR signed a deal with Vivarail which was using old District line stock to develop the technology but that company went into administration and GWR bought its intellectual property, rolling stock and equipment relating to the FastCharge technology.

The trial could pave the way for battery-only trains to operate on branch lines across the UK and help meet the Government and wider rail industry’s target to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. It is hoped the technology could one day see battery-powered trains in operation across the UK’s approximately 2,000 miles of 80-plus branch lines.

GWR Engineering Director Dr Simon Green said, “This work has never been done before and we’re leading the way to help the Department for Transport and Network Rail understand what is required to roll out this technology on the UK’s rail network.

“Only now has there been a combination of battery capability and charging technology that enables a branch line train to operate to the same timetable as a diesel unit, and yet still charge safely and with minimal impact on the local grid power supply.

“Clearly our specialist engineering team have been working round-the-clock to ensure that this FastCharge system has been fully tested and that there will be sufficient charge for the train to operate to the timetable on the Greenford branch line.

“Each branch line will vary but this is an incredibly exciting innovation and I’m proud that GWR is at the forefront of the railway’s commitment to phase out diesel-only traction by 2040.”

Rail Minister Huw Merriman said, “We're ambitious about making the railways even more sustainable and this trial, backed by Government funding, could pave the way for greener journeys for millions of passengers across the network.

“Rail is already the most environmentally-friendly form of public transport and battery-powered technology will play an important role in further decarbonising it, helping us reach our net-zero target by 2050.”