ROLLING stock leasing company Eversholt Rail has ordered three pre-series Revolution Very Light Rail (RVLR) vehicles from Transport Design International (TDI) for passenger trials on the national network in Britain.
Eversholt has invested £8.75m in the three new vehicles, the company has confirmed to IRJ.
TDI is leading the consortium developing the battery-powered RVLR, aiming to provide a low-cost alternative to traditional rolling stock on shorter, low-traffic routes which would otherwise be uneconomical to operate.
Using a new lineside fast charging system, the RVLR vehicle would produce no emissions when in operation, according to Eversholt and TDI.
The partners say that the order follows successful trials and testing with an RVLR demonstrator vehicle in Ironbridge in the West Midlands over the past two years, and represents the next major step towards series production.
The demonstrator is 18.9m long and seats up to 56 passengers. It has been built to a modular design using lightweight materials, including composite carbon fibre body panels, and aluminium and composite construction for the cabs and roof. A key design objective was achieving an empty weight of less than 1 tonne per linear metre.
“Transferring state of the art automotive propulsion technology to a rail environment,” the hybrid demonstrator has a Euro 6-compliant diesel-electric powertrain combined with LTO battery packs for zero-emission operation at up to 32km/h. Maximum speed is 104km/h.
Eversholt and TDI report that major passenger operators in Britain are showing interest in RVLR as they look to decarbonise, and that work is now in progress with key stakeholders across the rail industry to agree routes and services where passenger-carrying trials can be conducted.
The trials will provide passenger demand data to support business cases for long-term deployment of RVLR vehicles, as well as providing further passenger and operator feedback on their design and capabilities.
The three pre-series vehicles will be built in the Midlands by TDI, with assembly starting next year and the first vehicle ready for passenger operation in 2026. Eversholt and TDI say that RVLR’s modular design “enables this rapid programme to be achieved with confidence.”
“This substantial further investment by Eversholt Rail demonstrates our commitment to delivering innovative, sustainable and attractive new rail products for the UK market,” says Eversholt Rail CEO, Ms Mary Kenny.
“We are looking forward to working with Eversholt Rail to deliver this groundbreaking product that will modernise lower-density parts of the UK rail network with an environmentally sustainable and economic solution,” says TDI chairman, Mr Sam Wauchope.
“TDI is investing in a new manufacturing facility for these vehicles, and as part of this programme we are developing our in-service charging technology, an essential for battery-only operations.”
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