FRANCE: Dynamic testing of a lightweight trainset for secondary lines is underway after the EcoTrain was unveiled to the public in late November at the Socofer plant in Tours.
First conceived in 2019 by entrepreneur Philippe Bourguignon and suppliers Socofer, Stratiforme and Clearsy, the 30-seat EcoTrain is a twin-axle railcar designed for use on lightly used lines where operating costs need to be kept to a minimum.
The vehicle is 12·5 m long and 2 800 mm wide, with its four-wheel design giving an axleload of 8 tonnes. It is powered by lithium-ion battery powerpacks that offer a range of 500 km between recharging, and it is able to handle a maximum gradient of 1 in 40 and achieve a maximum operating speed of 70 km/h. The design can also be adapted to carry lightweight freight consignments of up to 2·5 tonnes; one PRM accessible space is available onboard.
The backers explain that the EcoTrain concept is not intended to conform to main line standards, complying instead with light rail regulations for use on branch lines that are physically isolated from the main line network.
Bourguignon says the lightweight railcar is ‘user friendly, frugal and full of technology’, being designed for GoA4 driverless operation, and fitted with GNSS and LiDAR to support low-cost train control functions. The signalling function would be undertaken wholly onboard the vehicle, the backers say, to minimise overall costs of operation. For this reason, EcoTrains are expected to run on captive routes where the infrastructure has been modified to support their use.
Turnkey options
The vehicles are designed to be maintained at low cost in existing local facilities such as car or bus garages, Bourguignon says, and platoon operation of up to five railcars in tandem is also being offered.
A dedicated company, EcoTrain SAS, has been established by Bourguignon to explore potential turnkey contracts to renovate specific rail routes where the EcoTrain model could be deployed. Lines already identified by Bourguignon and his team include Agen – Auch, Busseau-sur-Creuse – Felletin and Ascq – Orchies. Opportunities exist elsewhere in Europe, Bourguignon says, ‘notably in Belgium’.
He envisages turnkey concessions being let that would include operators and infrastructure contractors, who would renew the track ahead of EcoTrain operation. Assembly of the vehicles could also be undertaken in the localities where the services would run, he added.
