Main line tests have started on the nation’s first intercity battery train. The class 802 bi-mode unit has seen one of its engines replaced and retrofitted with batteries, a first for the UK rail network.
The battery-powered train, a collaboration between TransPennine Express (TPE), Hitachi Rail and Angel Trains (the unit’s owner) will be undergoing rigorous testing on routes between York to Manchester Airport and Leeds to Liverpool Lime Street over the next eight weeks. As part of the tests, the battery’s performance on hills, its regenerative braking capabilities, as well as its fuel efficiency will be analysed.
Prior to its national rail debut, the train successfully completed low-speed tests on the test track at Hitachi Rail’s Newton Aycliffe manufacturing facility, demonstrating its potential to operate entirely on battery power, producing zero tailpipe emissions.
https://www.railmagazine.com/news/2024/08/30/uk-s-first-intercity-battery-train-hits-the-tracks