Battery traction news – Page 2
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Metro Report International‘Truly unique’ history-inspired tramway to be built in Saudi Arabia
SAUDI ARABIA: The Royal Commission for AlUla has awarded Alstom a €500m contract to supply a ‘truly unique’ tramway inspired by heritage including the historic Hedjaz Railway. Alstom said the 22·4 km line would be the world’s longest catenary-free tramway, and will ‘encapsulate richness, history and ...
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NewsFunding secured to support locomotive orders
EUROPE: Private equity investor RIVE Private Investment has structured a €300m financing platform for the acquisition of ‘innovative’ locomotives for lease. This will initially support existing orders for: 15 Siemens Mobility Vectron Dual Mode electro-diesel locomotives; 20 Alstom Traxx MS3 locomotives, which RIVA said would ...
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NewsBattery-electric multiple-units included in largest Mireo order
GERMANY: Siemens Mobility has been awarded orders totalling €500m to supply 75 Mireo electric and battery-electric multiple-units for use from December 2026 on Mitteldeutschen S-Bahn 2025plus services centred on Leipzig. Diesels are not permitted in the Leipzig City Tunnel, and the use of BEMUs will enable ...
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Metro Report InternationalCanberra tramway extension contract signed
AUSTRALIA: The major works contract for Canberra Light Rail Stage 2A has been signed with tramway PPP concessionaire Canberra Metro, the Australian Capital Territory announced on December 7. Stage 2A will extend the line 1·7 km from Alinga Street along London Circuit West, adding three new ...
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NewsHiivr Rail autonomous wagon unveiled in Western Australia
AUSTRALIA: Western Australia rail infrastructure concessionaire Arc Infrastructure and US technology partner Parallel Systems have unveiled a prototype autonomous container wagon following three years of development. The battery-powered wagon branded Hiivr Rail was demonstrated to government and industry stakeholders at the Kenwick Freight Rail Facility in ...
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Rail Business UKRevolution Very Light Rail vehicles ordered for passenger trials
UK: Leasing company Eversholt Rail has awarded Transport Design International contracts to build three pre-series battery-powered Revolution Very Light Rail railcars for trial passenger operation. This follows successful tests with a diesel-battery hybrid RVLR demonstrator vehicle at Ironbridge over the past two years. RVLR is being ...
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Rail Business UKRail Charging Facility to enable battery trains to use local power supplies
UK: Porterbrook has announced a £1·7m deal with Siemens Mobility to purchase a Rail Charging Converter, a modular and containerised system developed to enable a battery-powered train to be recharged from standard local power supply cables in places where 25 kV 50 Hz overhead electrification is ...
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NewsSteel works locos converted to battery power
USA: Innovative Rail Technologies has converted two industrial shunting locomotives used at United States Steel Corp’s Edgar Thomson and Clairton sites from diesel to battery power using its Advanced Technology Li-Ion Adaptive System turnkey propulsion and control package. This is intended to reduce fuel consumption ...
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NewsCRRC sets out cost savings from high-power battery shunting loco
CHINA: CRRC Zhuzhou has rolled out a lithium iron phosphate battery powered industrial shunting locomotive ordered by Lianyang Iron & Steel Group. The manufacturer said the 1·5 MW locomotive unveiled on November 16 is the most powerful battery-only shunting locomotive in China, with the ...
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NewsBattery shunter enters service in Ohio
USA: OmniTRAX’s Newburgh & South Shore Railroad has put an AMPS Traction G9 battery shunting locomotive into service in the Cleveland area. The railway has been supported by Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s Diesel Mitigation Trust Fund, which provides grants for projects to improve air quality. The ...
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Rail Business UKLNER orders CAF tri-mode inter-city trains
UK: London North Eastern Railway has awarded CAF a contract to supply a fleet of 10 tri-mode 200 km/h inter-city trainsets for use on East Coast Main Line passenger services. The trainsets will be financed and owned by leasing company Porterbrook. CAF said the order announced ...
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NewsPilbara heavy haul battery locomotive unveiled
AUSTRALIA: A FLXdrive battery-powered heavy haul locomotive for iron ore mining company Roy Hill has been unveiled at Wabtec’s factory at Erie in the USA. ‘This FLXdrive locomotive represents a major step in the journey to a low-to-zero-emission future’, said Wabtec President & CEO Rafael Santana ...
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NewsFlirt Akku battery-electric multiple-units enter service
GERMANY: The first of the Stadler Flirt Akku battery-electric multiple-units ordered by Schleswig-Holstein transport authority NAH.SH have entered revenue service with operator Erixx Holstein. ‘We are taking a huge step towards zero-emission local transport with the 55 battery trains that will run on 11 lines in ...
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Rail Business UKClass 08 diesel shunter converted to battery power
UK: A Class 08 diesel shunting locomotive originally built in the 1950s has been rebuilt to use battery power. Branded 08e, the prototype has been developed by Positive Traction to offer a cost-effective and emission free alternative to diesel power for shunting and industrial applications. ‘Class ...
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NewsElectro-diesel multiple-unit converted to battery-electric power
FRANCE: SNCF Voyageurs and Alstom have unveiled a prototype conversion of an AGC multiple-unit from electro-diesel to battery-electric power as part of a plan to decarbonise the French regional train fleet. Five of the Bombardier Transportation-built electro-diesel multiple-units are due to be converted as part of ...
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NewsRailpool orders Modula heavy shunting and freight locomotives
GERMANY: Leasing company Railpool has ordered 45 Modula heavy shunting and freight locomotives from CRRC’s Vossloh Rolling Stock business, with options to purchase 142 more. The initial batch of locomotives is to be supplied in two variants. All will be fitted with a 1 MW diesel ...
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NewsMetra awarded funding to buy battery trains
USA: Chicago commuter operator Metra has been awarded a $169·3m federal Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality Improvement grant for the purchase of up to 16 battery multiple-units. Metra said the zero-emission trainsets are ‘likely’ to be used on its Rock Island Line, benefiting the air quality ...
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NewsRumo takes delivery of battery-diesel hybrid locomotives
BRAZIL: Freight operator Rumo has taken delivery of two Progress Rail EMD GT38H battery-diesel hybrid locomotives, which will store energy generated during dynamic braking rather than dissipate it as heat. Rumo expects the locos to use up to 45% less fuel and to be produce ...
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In depthTraction: Intermittent wiring could form path to decarbonisation
Is there a feasible way to decarbonise North America’s railroads? Partial electrification matched with battery-powered traction may offer an answer.
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Rail Business UKBattery trains could take Merseyrail to places it couldn’t previously reach
UK: Speaking to Rail Business UK at the opening of Headbolt Lane station in Kirkby, Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram expressed enthusiasm for extending Merseyrail services to more destinations by using battery power to avoid the need for electrification. Merseyrail trains reach Headbolt Lane using ...