Bi-mode Aventra
Bombardier confirms development of 125mph bi-mode Aventra that could include battery technology.
BOMBARDIER has confirmed development of a 125mph bi-mode Aventra that could also include battery technology.
The Derby-based manufacturer plans to offer it to three upcoming franchise competitions, while also confirming it sees potential to export the trains.
The company announced the train on March 29, the day the National Audit Office’s report into electrification states that the benefits of bi-mode trains remain unproven (see separate story).
However, spokesman Will Tanner told RAIL that Bombardier believes the train it has developed will overcome these concerns. The company plans to offer it for the upcoming East Midlands, West Coast Partnership and CrossCountry franchise competitions, and confirmed that should any deals for the trains be won, they would be built at Derby Litchurch Lane where development work has already taken place.
Tanner explained that the company believes there remains a strong demand for bi-mode trains. The Aventra bi-mode would offer a maximum 125mph speed in both diesel and electric, and Bombardier claimed the ambience would be far better than other bi-mode units on the market. An option for ‘lastmile’ battery power is also being considered.
He said the company agreed with Rail Minister Jo Johnson’s comments that bi-mode trains provide a useful “bridging technology to other lower-emission futures for rail”.
Noting the comments made by Johnson on February 12, about the plans to remove diesel-only trains from the railway by 2040 ( RAIL 847), the manufacturer will future-proof the trains to enable the diesel engines to be removed if electrification is extended and when alternative fuel technologies are developed.
Bombardier has 2,615 Aventra vehicles on order. These are split across 11 orders (see panel) and involve 412 trains. So far, 13 Class 345s are in passenger use with TfL Rail, with the first Class 710s for London Overground due in traffic this summer.
The Department for Transport has said that bi-mode trains will be ordered for the Midland Main Line, and that these will enter traffic from late 2021, although no deal has been placed for these and no details regarding specification have been released. Their introduction is around two years after the current fleet of High Speed Trains used on the MML must be withdrawn due to accessibility guidelines ( RAIL 849).