Merseyrail’s new battery powered trains are to start their final testing this week, Mayor Steve Rotheram has announced.

The battery powered Class 777s will run test runs and driver training between Kirkby and the new £80m Headbolt Lane station, the latter is due to open later this year.

The trains will deliver an 80% reduction in energy use and will be the first battery trains of their type in the country.

It was previously said that the battery powered trains could mean that Merseyrail could extend their network to run to Wrexham, Warrington and Runcorn.

For those that don’t know, the 777/0 class is a fully electrified unit, with small batteries used for shunting. A Class 777/1 is also electric, but also comes with a bigger battery that is capable of taking the train for a number of miles.

The Class 777s were first introduced on the Kirkby line in January, and Merseyrail claims that passengers have been “fulsome in their praise of the new trains”,

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “This is not only a massive milestone for our area, but for the entire country, as our new publicly owned, battery powered trains enter final testing.

“Our trains will be the first of their kind in the country, fitted with pioneering battery technology that will help us to significantly reduce our carbon footprint and pave the way for a cleaner, greener, and better-connected London-style transport network. This is the gold standard of public transport – and it’s the very least that our residents deserve.

“As a Kirkby native, I’ve heard talk about a new station at Headbolt Lane for as long as I can remember. Thanks to devolution, we’ve invested £80m to turn that dream into delivery. Extending our train network is a key part of my Merseyrail for All pledge to connect previously underserved parts of our community to our rail network – bringing them closer to new opportunities and each other.

“We are enormously grateful to passengers for their patience during this final testing stage but I can guarantee them that their new battery powered trains – and their brand new station – will be worth the wait!