Earlier this year, Vivarail halted operation, putting some rail services and deployment of new rolling stock in jeopardy – as well as a fast-charge battery train project.
Well, it seems that FirstGroup franchise Great Western Railway is taking forward a trial as they agree on a deal to purchase certain Vivarail assets.
The Class 230 Test Train – Image, Great Western Railway
GWR has agreed on contracts to buy intellectual property, rolling stock (including unit 230001) and equipment relating to the development of high-performance battery and FastCharge technology designed to support the wider introduction of battery-powered trains on the UK’s rail network.
It will not include other Vivarail assets, such as the support staff at Betchly or the considerable number of London Underground District Line (D78-type) stock it brought when it tried to offer them as upcycled trains.
The deal secures the future of planned trials of the technology in a real-world environment, which GWR was supporting between West Ealing and Greenford.
The company has also employed nine former Vivarail staff to support the trials and project development.
In Quotes
GWR Engineering Director Simon Green said:
We’ve been working closely with the Vivarail team on this exciting project for some time, and we are delighted we have been able to step in and make sure its important work can continue.
“There have clearly been some setbacks that mean we will need to review the existing plans and timescales, but we will continue to work with Network Rail and the Department for Transport to get the project back on track.
“This work is a key part of our commitment to reduce the carbon emissions of our train fleet with a view to removing all diesel-only traction from the network by 2040, in line with the Government’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan.”
Someone opened up their wallet…
It is welcoming to see that this trial will be restarting, as the UK Rail industry attempts to wean itself off diesel and investigate other power sources to power trains – even for short distances.
The funding for this, however, is interesting – it should be noted that FirstGroup won’t be owning the technology, but rather the train operating company – Great Western Railway. With the controls on spending in the rail industry (with GWR cutting its Castle HST sets and the tri-mode Class 769 sets that have not earned a penny in revenue service), it is pretty obvious that someone in the Department of Transport has dipped into the pot to pay for this trial.
With the Rail Industry on notice that it won’t be able to rely on diesel locomotives forever and the UK government’s lackadaisical attitude to electrifying rail lines, answers are needed – both from big and smaller organisations on how to fill in the gaps that are fast appearing.
We’ll have to see how the trial goes – and where that technology can lead.
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