Attendance at the Hitachi Rail event introducing new battery-powered trains (7th November 2024)
2024/11/13
On 7th November, Consul General Tadashi Fujiwara and Minister for Economic Affairs at the Embassy of Japan in the UK, Kyoichiro Kawakami, attended an event at Hitachi Rail’s Newton Aycliffe factory in North East England to celebrate new battery technology.
The event was attended by Hitachi Rail CEO Giuseppe Marino, along with Mayor of the North East Combined Authority Kim McGuinness, and members of the UK Parliament Alan Strickland MP and Sam Rushworth MP. The other attendee includes UK Government officials from the Department of Business and Trade, and the Department of Transport, as well as representatives from the private sector and media.
The vehicles introduced at the event were equipped with a new battery system, a first in the UK, to replace diesel engines with batteries on Intercity Trains. They were installed by Hitachi Rail, a group company of Hitachi, Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Hitachi”) in collaboration with the UK’s TransPennine Express and Angel Trains. The eight-week trial taking place between York and Manchester Airport, and Leeds and Liverpool Lime Street confirmed that the trains can run at speeds of over 120km per hour on a single battery, while reducing emissions costs by 35-50%. The new battery system can also be used in conjunction with existing diesel engines, and its cutting-edge hybrid technology enables seamless use of battery, electric and diesel power. This enables the vehicle to automatically run in zero-emission battery mode, particularly in non-electrified sections of track such as urban areas, thereby contributing to improving air quality and reducing noise pollution.
The batteries were developed in collaboration with Turntide Technologies of Sunderland, drawing on the know-how of the battery development industry in the North East of England. These new battery trains will help increase demand and support the UK government's aim to create 100,000 jobs across the UK battery industry by 2040. Hitachi is expected to make further contributions to the decarbonisation and modernisation of railways by leveraging its strengths in rolling stock technology as well as electrical and digital technologies.
The event was attended by Hitachi Rail CEO Giuseppe Marino, along with Mayor of the North East Combined Authority Kim McGuinness, and members of the UK Parliament Alan Strickland MP and Sam Rushworth MP. The other attendee includes UK Government officials from the Department of Business and Trade, and the Department of Transport, as well as representatives from the private sector and media.
The vehicles introduced at the event were equipped with a new battery system, a first in the UK, to replace diesel engines with batteries on Intercity Trains. They were installed by Hitachi Rail, a group company of Hitachi, Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Hitachi”) in collaboration with the UK’s TransPennine Express and Angel Trains. The eight-week trial taking place between York and Manchester Airport, and Leeds and Liverpool Lime Street confirmed that the trains can run at speeds of over 120km per hour on a single battery, while reducing emissions costs by 35-50%. The new battery system can also be used in conjunction with existing diesel engines, and its cutting-edge hybrid technology enables seamless use of battery, electric and diesel power. This enables the vehicle to automatically run in zero-emission battery mode, particularly in non-electrified sections of track such as urban areas, thereby contributing to improving air quality and reducing noise pollution.
The batteries were developed in collaboration with Turntide Technologies of Sunderland, drawing on the know-how of the battery development industry in the North East of England. These new battery trains will help increase demand and support the UK government's aim to create 100,000 jobs across the UK battery industry by 2040. Hitachi is expected to make further contributions to the decarbonisation and modernisation of railways by leveraging its strengths in rolling stock technology as well as electrical and digital technologies.