The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) has appointed multi-disciplinary professional services consulting firm WSP to advise on the delivery of battery-powered trains on the UK rail network.
WSP will work closely with industry stakeholders, including Network Rail and the Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT), to produce an evidence-based report providing industry with clear recommendations to optimise and standardise the wider and strategic adoption of battery power on UK railways.
To do this, WSP will draw on both its extensive experience of battery train development on the Norwegian and Swedish rail networks and previous work the UK, where the company has explored the potential for battery train operation for Network Rail and the GBRTT.
The Department for Transport announced in 2018 that it intends to remove all diesel-only trains from its network by 2040 as part of its commitment to achieve net zero on the railways by 2050.
Battery power could provide a cost-efficient solution to various challenges faced in the electrification of the British rail network, including lightly used rural lines and structures that are too small to accommodate overhead wires, and WSP’s work will support GBRTT’s emergent thinking in these areas as part of its thirty-year strategy for rail.
WSP’s associate director for rail planning Steven Hart said: “Decarbonising the UK’s transport system will be key if we are to meet our climate commitments, and battery power’s potential as a cost-effective method of supporting these efforts is tremendous.
“We’re excited to be working collaboratively with RSSB and industry stakeholders to develop guidance for future standardised, safe and resilient battery train deployments in the UK and to support the rail industry in driving down its emissions in line with the UK’s net zero targets.”
RSSB lead research analyst Aaron Rostron-Barrett added: “To date, the design and roll-out of battery trains has been undertaken on a scheme-by-scheme basis. This has resulted in bespoke designs with manufacturers having their own approach to battery charging.
“While this has supported more rapid deployments, it has the potential restrict operational flexibility and rolling stock cascade options in the future.
“To address this challenge, some level of standardisation will help maintain high levels of safety, lower overall costs, future-proof the roll-out of battery technology and support GB Rail maximise the opportunities that battery trains can offer.”
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