A British rail operator has started live testing, though without passengers, of a battery-powered electric train that can recharge its batteries in just 3.5 minutes. In service, it would make possible electrification of diesel-powered branch lines without a heavy investment in third-rail or overhead power.
The test train, operated by Great Western Railway, was originally built for another operator, now bankrupt. That company, Vivarail, cobbled the train together from retired London Underground cars.
The system uses short charging rails that are fully covered by the train and are only live when the train is charging. The train connects to the charge rails by retractable shoes under the car; the power for the chargers comes from trackside battery banks that are constantly trickle-charged from the normal electric supply.
The fast-charging means that an electric train could keep to the same kind of schedule followed by diesels, without having to take long periods out of service for charging. The system has undergone 1500 hours of testing at a rail research site, and will now make trial runs on the national network between Long Marston and Moreton-in-Marsh, and then move to service on a branch line for the spring. No definite word on when it might see passenger service.
