Five French regions, rail network SNCF and train manufacturer Bombardier are to invest €38 million to develop bi-modal trains for use on the French TER regional rail network that can use either electric or battery power.
The regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Hauts-de-France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur are each contributing €5.4 million to the project which will see Bombardier develop five trains that can operate using overhead electric power or on battery.
In the new trains, two diesel engines will be replaced with lithium batteries which can be recharged when the train is on an electrified section of the network as well as by regenerative braking. The batteries have a range of 80 kilometres without recharging.
The trains will be developed by the end of the year and undergo trials in 2022. If these are successful, the trains will enter service in 2023 on the following routes: Lyon-Bourg en Bresse, Abancourt-Beauvais-Creil, Bordeaux-Mont de Marsan, Bordeaux-Le Verdon, Bordeaux -Saint Mariens, Nîmes-Le Grau du Roi and Marseille-Aix.
The project is part of SNCF’s ‘Planeter’ programme to reduce the carbon emissions of the TER.
“With the launch of the battery TER programme, we are opening a new stage in our action to reduce the CO2 emissions of regional trains. Taking the train is already the most environmentally friendly mobility solution, but we are choosing to go further by making it even more green,” said Christophe Fanichet, CEO of SNCF Voyageurs.