Bombardier unveils new battery-operated train

1053
Photo: Bombardier.
Photo: Bombardier.
Listen to this article

Bombardier Transportation has presented its new battery-operated train, which it describes as being the first of its kind to enter passenger operation in Europe in more than 60 years.

The Talent 3 electro-hybrid train does not generate any exhaust fumes and sets the standards for smart mobility with peak values of 90 per cent in the areas of efficiency and recyclability, according to the train maker.

It is also around 50 per cent quieter than modern diesel trains.

The development of the train is subsidised by the German federal government. Partners include DB Regio subsidiary DB ZugBusRegionalverkehr Alb-Bodensee, Nahverkehrsgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg, the Nationale Organisation Wasserstoff- und Brennstoffzellentechnologie and the Technical University of Berlin.


Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter


Enak Ferlemann, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, said: “We want to continue to electrify rail transport. A train that can charge its batteries from the overhead line while driving is a huge step toward this and the epitome of innovation.

“On non-electrified or only partially electrified routes, the motto is: move away from diesel on the tracks and toward cleaner and more environmentally-friendly mobility.”

Head of Bombardier Transportation in Germany Michael Fohrer added that the train is the company’s technological response to “challenges such as air pollution, climate change and scarcity of resources”.

He said: “Around 40 per cent of the German rail network is not electrified. The Bombardier battery-operated train is an attractive option to counter that, both economically and ecologically speaking.”


Read more: Alstom bags its biggest urban rolling stock contract in India