The UK's first rapid-charging battery-only train enters passenger service this weekend, operating a five-mile return route in west London. Great Western Railway (GWR) will run the converted London Underground train from 5:30am on Saturday, covering the West Ealing to Greenford branch line with four stops and a 12-minute journey each way, carrying up to 273 passengers.
The battery recharges in just three and a half minutes at West Ealing station between trips, using a 2,000kW charger connected to a short section of rail that becomes live only when the train stops overhead. The train set a world record last year for the farthest distance travelled by a battery-electric train, exceeding 200 miles on a single charge.
GWR's engineering director Simon Green called it a significant moment, highlighting that the fast-charge trial demonstrates battery technology as a reliable alternative to diesel where overhead lines are not feasible. Network Rail's western route director Marcus Jones noted the technology's promise for a low-emission railway and the goal of net-zero by 2050.
While hybrid battery-electric trains exist elsewhere, the rapid charging technology allows trains to run on batteries alone, offering safety benefits over high-voltage third rails and reducing strain on local electricity grids. GWR believes this could enable a shift from diesel on longer routes in south-west England, following the curtailed electrification of the Great Western mainline in 2020 due to cost overruns.
