Tuesday 30 Jun 2015
Battery-powered train wins industry award for innovation
- Region & Route:
- National
Last Friday (26/6), the first battery-powered train to run on Britain’s rail network in more than half a century was recognised with its first industry award, picking up the prize for best “cross industry project” at the 2015 Railway Industry Innovation Awards hosted by Modern Railways at the Marriott Grosvenor Square, London.
The Independently Powered Electric Multiple Unit (IPEMU) was recognised as a cross-industry collaboration between RSSB, Network Rail, Abellio Greater Anglia, Bombardier and the Department for Transport, which saw the concept of a battery-powered train successfully trialled over a five-week period in passenger service.
News of the award can be found on the Bombardier website.
Providing an update on the battery-powered train project since initial trials between Harwich International and Manningtree, Network Rail’s principal engineer James Ambrose added: “We are continuing to rigorously test the IPEMU battery technology at Bombardier's test facility in Mannheim, Germany, and are working very closely with the DfT and our partners, looking at plans for safety and implementation. There’s been global interest in this project and we aim to provide a detailed, technical report at the end of the year.”
Further details about the battery powered-train can be found on the Network Rail Media Centre
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