Testing has begun on a battery-powered train developed in partnership between two North East firms.
The project has seen Hitachi Rail, which has a factory at Newton Aycliffe, working with Turntide Technologies - formerly known as Hyperdrive Innovation - in Sunderland, with a powerful battery unit retrofitted onto a TransPennine Express train ahead of a trial on the company’s routes this summer.
It is hoped that the battery unit will deliver the same levels of acceleration and performance on the train while being no heavier than the diesel engine it replaces. As well as potentially improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions and fuel costs by up to 30%, the trial will test how intercity trains can enter and leave non-electrified stations in battery mode to improve air quality and reduce noise pollution.
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