A new emission-free, low-noise, battery-operated train is revealed

The BOMBARDIER TALENT 3 battery-powered EMU

Bombardier’s new emission-free, energy-efficient and low-noise battery-operated train has been introduced to the public for the first time.

The BOMBARDIER TALENT 3 is the first of its kind to enter passenger operation in Europe in over 60 years. It does not generate any exhaust – setting the standards for smart mobility with peak values of 90 per cent in the areas of efficiency and recyclability. It is also around 50 per cent quieter than modern diesel trains.

According to a comparative study by the Technical University of Dresden, the battery-operated train has an edge with respect to the total costs across the service life of 30 years.

“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,” said Enak Ferlemann, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. “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.”

Overall, the prospects for the battery-operated train are positive. The range increases proportionally with the continuous capacity increases due to new battery developments. The current prototype is equipped with four BOMBARDIER MITRAC traction batteries and can travel routes of approximately 40km. In 2019, the next generation of battery-operated trains are expected to be able to cover distances of up to 100km on non-electrified railways. In 2019, Deutsche Bahn (DB) will start a 12-month trial run with passengers with the current prototype in the Alb-Lake Constance region.

“With our new battery-operated train, we are putting real innovation on the tracks,” says Michael Fohrer, Head of Bombardier Transportation in Germany. “This train is Bombardier’s technological response to challenges such as air pollution, climate change and scarcity of resources. 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.”

The development of the battery-operated train is subsidised by the German federal government in the framework of an innovation programme for electromobility with €4 million. The project partners include the DB Regio subsidiary DB ZugBusRegionalverkehr Alb-Bodensee (regional transport for the Lake Constance region), Nahverkehrsgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg (Baden-Wuerttemberg Regional Transport Company), the Nationale Organisation Wasserstoff- und Brennstoffzellentechnologie (National Organisation for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology) and the Technical University of Berlin.