Hitachi Rail has completed the phase one roll-out of its battery-powered Masaccio trains in Italy as part of its €1.23bn agreement with Trenitalia, a press release said. Trenitalia has introduced a fleet of 20 'Blues' branded trains that traverse the length and breadth of the country.
European countries have made a collective commitment to decarbonise transport and reduce emissions by up to 55% by the end of the decade. While switching to electric vehicles (EVs) is relatively simple, a large section of Europe's train network remains unelectrified.
Due to the topographical challenges in Europe, achieving complete electrification of train transport is unlikely in the near future, as most of the train systems in the region currently rely on diesel power. In such a scenario, battery-powered trains offer hope of reducing emissions without having to take up the expensive and resource-consuming tasks of electrification in all regions.
How does a battery-powered train work?
The battery-powered train is equipped to work on both electrified and non-electrified lines. While operating on the former system, the train utilises a pantograph, which is a mechanism that connects to the powerline to acquire electricity for both running and recharging its battery pack.
In areas where electrification is unavailable, the train transitions to a combination of diesel and battery power. However, when it nears a station and enters populated areas, it solely relies on battery power to eliminate harmful emissions.
While battery packs have been previously utilised on trains, this marks the first occurrence where they serve as the primary power source for the entire journey. For now, the battery pack can only provide a range of up to 15km. Once depleted, it can be recharged using both the diesel engine and regenerative braking during the journey.
Designed to travel at speeds up to 160km/h
The Masaccio train is built at Hitachi's Rail factory in Pistoria near Florence and is being operated on popular routes along the Ionian coast in Sicily, Sardinia, and Lazio, to name a few. Trenitalia plans to induct a total of 135 such trains under its agreement with Hitachi.
Each of the trains can accommodate up to 300 people and be internally modified to be used by commuters or leisure travellers. In addition to accommodating luggage and bicycles, the train also offers space to stow equipment such as snowboards and mountain bikes.
Designed to travel at speeds up to 160km/h, these trains are constructed with a Europe-wide gauge and adhere to the European Rail Traffic Management System digital signalling as the standard protocol.
The Driver Advisory System on these trains can help in identifying optimal speeds to minimise energy consumption while also ensuring time reliability.
The company expects its battery technology to further improve in the next couple of years and support a range of more than 100km. In the future, trains will be equipped with extended ranges, and concurrently, existing trains in service will undergo retrofitting to incorporate newer batteries.
The trains are constructed using 93% recycled materials, making a significant contribution to sustainable travel practices.