UK railway electrification news
News about UK railway electrification plans, projects, technology and suppliers.
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Rail Business UKTrial suggests batteries could reduce inter-city train fuel costs by up to 50%
UK: Trials with an inter-city electro-diesel trainset retrofitted with a traction battery in place of one of its engines achieved fuel cost savings of 35% to 50%, surpassing predictions of up to 30%, while meeting performance requirements and supporting zero-emission operation around stations. The non-passenger carrying ...
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Metro Report InternationalSolar farms could power London Underground trains
UK: Transport for London has called tenders for the development of purpose-built solar photovoltaic farms to generate zero-carbon electricity for the London Underground network. ‘Private wire’ agreements would see the solar electricity produced near the network, bypassing the National Grid’s centralised sources and Distribution Network Operators. ...
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Rail Business UKDiscontinuous electrification selected for East West Rail
UK: Oxford to Cambridge railway corridor project promoter East West Railway Co has announced discontinuous electrification with battery-electric trains as its preferred option for powering future services. EWR Co also looked at battery power and full electrification before selecting discontinuous electrification, which would see overhead installed ...
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Rail Business UKTurkish electrification firm targets UK rail market
UK: Turkish overhead electrification equipment manufacturer Ulusoy Raylı Sistemler has a signed a memorandum of understanding to use the future Global Centre of Rail Excellence in South Wales for product development and commercial showcasing as part of its planned expansion into the UK market. Ulusoy produces ...
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Rail Business UKChiltern Railways cancels call for battery train proposals
UK: Chiltern Railways has discontinued its call for proposals for the supply of a fleet of battery-electric multiple-units. In September 2022 the operator invited proposals for the supply of between 30 and 70 new, existing or converted BEMUs. However, the procurement process was not progressing, and ...
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Rail Business UKInterview: Chiltern Railways is ‘focused on what we can control’
UK: As the rail sector braces itself for major institutional change, Chiltern Railways Managing Director Richard Allan is keen to deliver tangible improvements now. Key investment priorities include decarbonising its rolling stock fleet. Tony Miles posed the questions.
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Rail Business UKFive electrified railway lines at risk from climate change
UK: The 25 kV 50 Hz overhead equipment on five sections of railway needs ‘immediate assessment and renewal’ to address the threat to reliability posed by climate change, according to electrification engineering company Furrer+Frey. The latest update to the company’s Climate Resilience in Rail Electrification report ...
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Metro Report InternationalTyne & Wear Metro SCADA contract awarded
UK: Tyne & Wear Metro operator Nexus has selected Sella Controls to undertake a £8·8m two-year project to replace the Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition System which is used to manage the network’s high and low voltage power supplies, fire and intruder alarms, lighting, lifts, escalators ...
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Rail Business UKLatest version of traction power supply SCADA commissioned
UK: The latest version of Telent’s Traction Power Centralised Management System has been commissioned at Raynes Park in south London. Telent said this marked a milestone in delivering a national SCADA platform for Network Rail’s traction power supplies. It followed testing at the Manchester and Three ...
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Rail Business UKBattery trains could save £3·5bn, says Siemens Mobility
UK: ‘Britain should never have to buy a diesel passenger train again’, said Sambit Banerjee, Joint CEO of Siemens Mobility UK & Ireland, when the company set out a case for ordering battery-electric trainsets which would use electrification where available and battery power on non-electrified tracks. ...
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Rail Business UKHitachi tests battery train as a potential rail decarbonisation pathway
UK: A Class 802 electro-diesel inter-city trainset which has been retrofitted with a battery in place of one of its three engines is being tested by Hitachi Rail, operator TransPennine Express and leasing company Angel Trains. The battery will provide top-up power for peak demand and ...
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Rail Business UKLineside batteries could smooth railway electrical demand
UK: Network Rail is seeking a partner to design, develop, construct and operate ‘multi-MW scale’ lineside battery systems to support traction power supplies. A long-term services contract worth £150m to £200m is envisaged. The infrastructure manager purchases 3·7 TWh/year of electricity for traction power, and has ...
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Rail Business UKPorterbrook to electrify Long Marston test track
UK: Porterbrook has announced plans to renew the 3·5 km test track at its Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre and install 25 kV 50 Hz electrification. Testing will be possible at speeds of up to 75 km/h, with the capability to support ETCS. ‘Substantial replacement of ...
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In depthDecarbonisation: Accelerating the electrification task
Network Rail is now deploying UK-based Gripple’s SwiftLine Rail Dropper, which the supplier believes will speed up key steps in the installation of overhead electrification equipment.
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Rail Business UKThird rail or batteries could replace Southern diesel trains
UK: Govia Thameslink Railway is unable to commit to decarbonisation of its operations unless Network Rail and the Department for Transport agree to fund and implement alternatives to diesel operation on the un-electrified Ashford – Hastings and Hurst Green – Uckfield lines, the operator says in its ...
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Metro Report InternationalLondon Underground orders second-generation safety system
UK: London Underground has awarded Drallim Industries a contract to design, manufacture and service an enhanced version of the Permanent Current Rail Indicating Device. The permanently-fixed traction current status indicators are designed to reduce the risk of staff accessing the track when the traction current is ...
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Rail Business UKGovernment will consider rail freight operators’ proposals for last-mile electrification
UK: The government will consider industry proposals for last-mile electrification into freight terminals which would enable operators to take advantage of existing and future main line electrification when procuring new locomotives, Rail Minister Huw Merriman has told Rail Business UK. Speaking at an event to announce ...
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Rail Business UKScottish rail electrification framework procurement underway
UK: Network Rail has begun procurement for a framework contract covering the ‘efficient, consistent development, delivery, entry into service and handback’ of electrification to decarbonise rail operations in Scotland. This forms part of the Aberdeen Route Upgrade Electrification programme worth £250m-£300m and the £50m-£60m electrical safety ...
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Rail Business UKLong-term and overseas opportunities for rail apprentices
UK: The Transpennine Route Upgrade programme is ‘an investment in people’ and ‘it really is important that these projects leave a legacy of skills’, Rail Minister Huw Merriman said when he announced the latest tranche of funding. Speaking on December 4, Merriman said ‘if you look ...
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Rail Business UKRail plans in Hull and East Yorkshire devolution deal
UK: Electrification from Hull to Sheffield and Leeds, journey time reductions, a parkway station and more local input into rail priorities are included in a proposed devolution deal signed by the leaders of East Riding of Yorkshire and Kingston upon Hull City councils and the Department ...