Battery traction news – Page 8
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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.
-
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 ...
-
Rail Business UKHeadbolt Lane station opens with battery train service
UK: Headbolt Lane station in Kirkby opened on October 5, with services operated by Merseyrail and Northern terminating from opposite directions. Services run by the two operators previously terminated end-on at Kirkby, where the 750 V DC third rail electrification on the Merseyrail network ends. Merseyrail’s ...
-
In depthTraction technology: Bridging the gap from diesel
Equipping existing diesel passenger fleets with battery‑based energy storage technology can improve vehicle efficiency while reducing local noise and pollution, argues Edgar Keller of ABB Traction Systems.
-
NewsElectric-battery shunting locomotive unveiled
RUSSIA: Transmashholding’s Novocherkassk Electric Locomotive Plant unveiled its EMKA2 electric-battery shunting locomotive at the PRO//Dvizhenie.Expo trade fair in St Petersburg, saying more than 90% of the components were designed and manufactured domestically. The EMKA2 is derived from the TEM23 modular diesel locomotive. It is designed for ...
-
NewsChemnitz – Leipzig battery train unveiled
GERMANY: Alstom has unveiled the first of 11 Coradia Continental battery-electric multiple-units ordered by Mittelsachsen transport authority VMS for use on Chemnitz – Leipzig services. VMS Managing Director Mathias Korda said the BEMUs would enable electric operation on one of the most important routes in the ...
-
NewsBattery train to take Caltrain electric operation beyond the wires
USA: The California Transportation Commission has approved funding for Stadler to supply a battery-electric multiple-unit which will enable Caltrain to extend its future San Francisco – San Jose electric train service to Gilroy over track which is not currently scheduled for electrification. The funding allocated on ...
-
NewsCanadian battery locomotive under development
CANADA: Cando Rail & Terminals is developing a lithium-ion battery-powered locomotive to offer a zero-emission replacement for diesel shunters in yards and industrial sites, with an expected 40% reduction in energy consumption. Cando is working with Innovative Rail Technologies, which has previously produced a demonstrator battery ...
-
NewsBattery-electric train fast charging facility ordered
IRELAND: Alstom has been awarded a contract to provide a fast-charging facility for the battery-electric multiple-units that it is to supply to Iarnród Éireann as part of the DART+ programme to enhance commuter services in the Greater Dublin area. The charging equipment is to be installed ...
-
NewsAutonomous battery-powered wagons to be tested in Georgia
USA: Genesee & Wyoming is to pilot the use of autonomous battery-powered wagons on two short lines in Georgia, saying the technology from Parallel Systems could be used to transport containers to and from the Port of Savannah, reinvigorate rural railways, revive inland ports and remove ...
-
NewsTransport authority opts for battery rather than hydrogen trains
GERMANY: Niedersachsen transport authority LNVG has chosen to call tenders for battery-electric rather than hydrogen trains to replace diesel traction on non-electrified lines from 2029.













