The march towards replacing diesel trains in the UK continues, with Siemens Mobility's new train manufacturing facility in Goole, Yorkshire reckoning that their new bi-mode trains will save Britain's railways £3.5 billion and 12 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over the next 35 years. As explained in Rail UK's article below, these new trains will make use of overhead electrification when available, but battery power when it is not. This avoids or minimises the need for the very expensive process of electrification of old lines. The trains' technology has already seen successful trials in Germany.
In addition, Siemens have developed a faster mechanism for electrification of lines when needed. Called their Rail Charging Converter, it can utilise the pre-existing domestic grid, rather than requiring dedicated electrical networks, thus reducing both the installation time and the installation cost.
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"Britain should never have to buy a diesel passenger train again. Our battery trains, which we'd assemble in our new Goole factory in Yorkshire, can replace Britain's aging diesel trains without us having to electrify hundreds of miles more track in the next few years. So, on routes from Perth to Penzance, passengers could be travelling on clean, green battery-electric trains by the early 2030s. And the best thing is that this would save the country £3.5bn over 35 years."
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