Testing underway for GWR Fastcharge battery Class 230
Class 230 battery train, developed from former London Underground D78 Stock, has begun testing, in advance of it entering service for Great Western Railway on the Greenford Branch between West Ealing and Greenford.
The first half of February saw 230001 Viva Venturer undertake a series of test runs from Long Marston. The unit’s first venture onto Network Rail infrastructure came on February 5 when it worked 5Q11, the 10.24 Long Marston to Moreton-in-marsh via Evesham, and 5Q12, the 11.49 Moreton-in-marsh to Honeybourne North Junction, before the set returned to Long Marston. It then reappeared two days later and continued to work locally into the following week.
On February 14, GWR said the unit travelled 86 miles on battery power without recharging, exceeding the 84 miles previously recorded by a Stadler Class 777 under test conditions in 2022, which is understood to have been the greatest distance travelled by a battery train designed for the UK. On February 16, 230001 successfully ran under its own power to GWR’S Reading depot as 5Q23, the 10.25 departure from Long Marston via Oxford. The 70-mile journey used 45% of the unit’s battery capacity, with GWR engineers believing that the train could have travelled more than 120 miles on a single charge.
GWR’S Fastcharge technology has been designed to solve the problem of delivering reliable, battery-only trains capable of fulfilling timetable services on branch lines, eliminating the use of diesel traction and helping to meet the Government’s and the wider rail industry’s target to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The use of batteries for extended operation has typically been constrained by their range, meaning widespread implementation has not been possible. The Fastcharge technology will be trialled at West Ealing, with the train recharging for just three-and-a-half minutes before restarting its journey on the Greenford branch.
GWR said it has already carried out simulations on other branch lines in the Thames Valley to explore how the technology could be rolled out further in the future and could potentially reduce the operator’s emissions by more than 1700 tons of CO2E per year.
GWR engineering director Dr Simon Green said: “We were delighted by how the battery train performed during its series of test runs. In fact, it’s fair to say it has surpassed the expectations of our team of engineers. “Achieving these distances gives us great confidence as we press forward with this industry-leading Fastcharge technology.
“It’s also worth noting that in reaching the 86 miles on February 14, the train was operating in a real-world environment, at speeds of up to 60mph, stopping and starting over a hilly route, with elevation changes of up to 200m.” In February 2022, GWR signed a deal with Vivarail to trial new batte r y - c h a rg i n g technolog y designed to support the wider introduction of battery-powered trains on the UK’S rail network. However, Vivarail entered administration in December 2022 and GWR subsequently agreed to buy intellectual property, rolling stock, and equipment relating to the Fastcharge technology. Charging rails and lineside battery banks have been installed at West Ealing in preparation for the start of the trial on the Greenford branch line.