GREAT Western Railway ‘FastCharge’battery-electric Class 230 unit No. 230001 arrived at the company’s Reading depot on February 16, in preparation for a 12-month trial on the Greenford branch, beginning this spring.
Charging rails (activated in the presence of the train, charging it in 3.5 minutes) and lineside battery banks (tricklecharged from the national grid) have been installed at West Ealing for the operations, in between public passenger services.
Engineers say it used just 45% of its battery capacity on the 70-mile journey to Reading from Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre. On February 14, as part of a fortnight of‘shakedown’ runs, No. 230001 covered 86 miles without recharging, believed to be the greatest distance so far travelled by aUK battery train.