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Blog post: The train at platform six is…

There is a continuing debate about the future of rail travel in the UK, and in particular what kind of technology we should be using to make trains, cheaper, cleaner and more reliable. So, here’s Andrew Pritchard’s handy guide to the different options – and what they might mean for the East Midlands.

There are basically two types of train:  those which take their fuel around with them, and those that don’t.  The ones which don’t we call electric trains.   

Electric trains take power from overhead lines and transform it into movement without any intervening chemical process. This is incredibly efficient as very little power gets wasted through heat, friction or fumes, and there no need to use energy to also carry the weight of fuel.  As a result, electric trains are lighter (causing less wear and tear to the track), quicker and easier to maintain.    

The downside is that they also require a continuous power supply, normally a transformer every 30km or so and wires – which is an expensive up front cost.   The UK (and in particular England) has been very bad at electrification – as the 40-year battle to electrify the Midland Main Line demonstrates.  But others seem do it better and cheaper.   Germany has invested in a highly skilled permanent electrification workforce that delivers around 200 single track kilometres a year at a much lower cost than we have so far managed.    

The main UK competitor to electric traction is diesel. There are basically two types of diesel trains – and we have them both in the East Midlands.  

The Class170 Regionals are basically HGVs on rails: a big diesel engine connected to a drive shaft which turns the wheels.  They get the job done, but they are noisy, smelly and relatively expensive to run and maintain.   

The Inter-City Meridian Class 222s are different. What drives the wheels is actually an electric engine.  However, the electricity doesn’t come from wires, but from a diesel generator slung on the underside of the train.   If you are going to use diesel on a train this is the best way to do it. There is less friction and less mechanically that can go wrong, and if you want to remove the generator for repairs or maintenance, you just have to un-plug and unscrew it and swap another one in. 

What about the alternatives?   

There as has been a lot of talk about hydrogen trains.   The way these work is similar to the Meridians.  The hydrogen is fed into a fuel cell which produces electricity which then powers an electric engine, with water as the only waste product.   The problem with hydrogen is that it has a lower energy density than diesel, so you need to carry more of it around with you to get the same amount power.   There is also the issue of producing, transporting and storing hydrogen gas which requires bespoke infrastructure, including close to railway lines.  Two hydrogen trains have been trialled in Germany (with some reliability issues), but as yet there is no commercial proposition on the market.      

This is in contrast to battery-electric bi-mode trains, which are currently being rolled-out onto regional routes in northern Germany1, with Ireland due to follow shortly2.  These are basically electric trains with an added on-board battery.   The train runs under wires where they exist, and at the same time charges the battery for use where they don’t.   

The downside is the weight of the batteries and their finite range.  But the technology is improving fast, with the major train builders all developing their own commercial products.   Already the Stadler-made trains being used in Germany have an effective single charge-range of 100 miles. 

So what does this all mean for rail travel in the East Midlands? 

We are currently the most diesel dependent region in the UK.  

Later this year, EMR hope to the roll-out of the first Class 810 Aurora electric-diesel bi-modes on the Midland Main Line.  Although at first these will run mostly under diesel through the East Midlands, as electrification (hopefully) progresses northwards they will become predominately electrically powered.    The Auroras will also represent a step change in comfort and seat capacity for inter-city passengers.   

EMR is currently refurbishing its fleet of 20–30-year-old regional diesel trains – which should extend their life for another decade or so and make travel more comfortable for passengers in the meantime.   

But what happens after that?    

For obvious reasons, there are very few diesel trains now being made.   

Will we end up having to re-refurbish our increasingly elderly regional rolling stock again?   

Should we be on the look-out for younger diesels to ‘cascade in’ from elsewhere?   

Or should we start planning to roll out a fleet of next-generation Battery-Electric Multiple Units from the mid 2030’s onwards, building on the electrification infrastructure created for the Midland Main Line?   

Read our blog post on planning reforms, housing targets and the challenges of housing delivery here: https://www.emcouncils.gov.uk/blog-post-building-the-field-of-dreams/