From Upminster To Upcycled: Vivarail's D-train

Ben Jones visits Long Marston to find out how redundant District Line trains are being rebuilt to provide cheaper and greener alternatives to brand new multiple units – and how Vivarail is looking to the future with new methods of propulsion.

SOMEWHERE deep in rural Warwickshire, a former London Underground ‘DStock’ driving car stands on a railway siding. Surrounded by dozens of its sisters, mothballed Midland Metro tramcars, ex-Thameslink Class 319s, and redundant freight wagons, it’s not much to look at. Then suddenly – silently – it sets off, accelerating quickly and cantering around the test track with no more than a distant electrical whine. No, it’s not a runaway, but Vivarail’s battery powered D-Train demonstrator – one of several options the company is now developing to power its upcycled trains.

Inside, a bank of batteries obtained from the Bombardier/Network Rail Independently Powered Electric Multiple Unit (IPEMU) project provides power for the traction motors and enough charge for up to 80 hours of operation. It’s unlikely this could be replicated in the harsher realities of main line operation, but computer simulations predict it would be sufficient for a full-day diagram on a branch line such as Maidenhead to Marlow.

The modular design of the company’s traction packages is encouraging it to investigate various methods of propulsion, from diesel- electric ‘gensets’ to DC or AC electric, hybrids and, in the longer term, hydrogen fuel cells. The single-car battery prototype was developed in just four months, between January and April 2017, in response to the changing demands of train operators. The first production battery train is close to completion and should start its main line trials in April.