Siemens Mobility has developed a mobile rail charging facility which could bring both battery charging and 25kV power supply to areas on the UK rail network which do not have overhead line equipment available.

The impressive technology is set to be installed and demonstrated at Porterbrooks’s Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre in Warwickshire, which features 20km of railway testing track, as well as engineering and storage across the huge 135-acre site.

Supported by the Department for Transport through the Innovate UK‘s First of a Kind programme, Siemens Mobility’s Rail Charging Converter will offer a mobile rail charging facility which can go anywhere, alongside supporting weak electricity networks creating the ability to deliver 25kV in order to allow battery traction.

An agreement made will see both Siemens Mobility and Porterbrook contribute towards the funding for the demonstrator Rail Charging Converter and will be vital in supporting track and power upgrades at the huge site, which will enable testing well into the future.

The installation team will provide a novel charging solution which has been created especially to support the charge of trains using batteries powered by existing standard local power supply cables.

The special system makes use of powerful electronics in order to create a fully compliant, standard connection with the modern three-wire electricity grid and the single-wire railway.

Siemens Mobility’s innovative converter could cut the infrastructure required to support electrification by plugging into existing power cables, which provides a perfect power supply for trains.

The system is also compatible with trains powered by overhead line equipment and, due to the low cost and small scale of the design, could see the removal of diesel passenger train movements for routes which do not have full electrification.

Rob Morris, Joint CEO at Siemens Mobility said:

“This is a great opportunity for the UK rail network. We all know rail is the greenest form of transport. Our Rail Charging Converter, delivered here in the UK, can help transform journeys for passengers by supporting trains to use clean power in the form of battery or electric.”

Ben Ackroyd, Chief Operating Officer at Porterbrook said: “Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre is the perfect site for Siemens Mobility to pilot and develop this innovative technology, which will provide a permanent traction power solution to the site. We’re delighted to support Siemens Mobility with this project, which can help the UK railway to extend cleaner battery EMU operation across the network.”