{"id":269861,"date":"2025-08-20T20:03:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T10:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/railuk.com\/?p=181680"},"modified":"2025-08-20T20:03:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T10:03:00","slug":"great-western-railway-battery-train-sets-new-world-distance-record-of-200-miles-to-celebrate-railway-200-in-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=269861","title":{"rendered":"Great Western Railway battery train sets new world distance record of 200 miles to celebrate Railway 200 in style"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Great Western Railway today set a new world record for the furthest distance travelled by a battery-electric train on a single charge.<\/p>\n

In the year the industry celebrates 200 years since the birth of the modern railway, GWR registered an incredible 200 miles on a return journey from Reading Train Care Depot which took in London Paddington (twice) and Oxford.<\/p>\n

It was enough to smash the previous record of 139 miles achieved by Stadler Deutschland in Berlin in 2021 and demonstrates the capability of battery-electric trains as GWR seeks to replace its ageing diesel fleet.<\/p>\n

Officials from the Rail Performance Society, an organisation dedicated to recording and studying the performance of railways and railway traction in the UK, were on board to witness and verify the new world record.<\/p>\n

Rail Performance Society Vice Chair, Nigel Smedley, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe can confirm that, subject to final checks, the Great Western Railway Class 230 train travelled 200 miles on a return journey from Reading Train Care Depot without charging its batteries from any external energy source.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

The Class 230 train, number 230001, is the one used for GWR\u2019s successful trial of fast-charge technology on the Greenford branch line over the past year.<\/p>\n

The new world record follows the release of a White Paper<\/strong><\/a>, published by GWR last month, outlining the findings of the trial, which proved battery trains could provide a viable and cost-effective alternative to diesel trains.<\/p>\n

It comes as the operator prepares plans to renew its ageing regional fleet trains, which are expected to go out of serviceable use in the next 7-10 years.<\/p>\n

GWR Engineering Director, Dr Simon Green, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re delighted to set a new world record – and to reach 200 miles in such a landmark year for the rail industry is the icing on the cake. It\u2019s a real tribute to colleagues at GWR and Network Rail who have worked so hard on developing fast-charge technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s record attempt has been a bit of fun, but it also underlines a serious point: investment in battery technology is essential as we look to replace our ageing diesel fleet.<\/p>\n

\u201cOverhead lines will remain the first choice to power electric trains, but where that isn\u2019t possible or desirable, battery technology like this offers a reliable and efficient alternative to bridge the gap.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs part of our future rolling stock plans we\u2019ll need battery trains to routinely cover over 60 miles between charges – and today\u2019s achievement provides clear evidence that this is a viable and exciting solution for the future of our railway.\u201d<\/p>\n

Network Rail Operations Director, Simon Gillibrand, was among those at Reading Train Care Depot to welcome the record-breaking battery train.<\/p>\n

Simon Gillibrand said:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d like to congratulate GWR on setting this world record \u2013 reaching 200 miles during the Railway 200 celebrations is not just a symbolic achievement, but an important breakthrough that highlights the potential of battery-powered trains.<\/p>\n

\u201cRail is already the  greenest form of public transport and today\u2019s record-breaking journey shows what an important role new technologies will play in our commitment to a low-emission railway, with a goal of reaching net-zero by 2050.\u201d<\/p>\n

Railway 200 programme manager, Emma Roberts, added:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMany congratulations to everyone involved in this record-breaking run. It’s a special moment in a landmark year for a British invention that has constantly tested the boundaries of possibility. The railway\u2019s pioneering pedigree and spirit of innovation is clearly alive and kicking, helping to shape the future.”<\/p>\n

Image credit: GWR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Great Western Railway today set a new world record for the furthest distance travelled by a battery-electric train on a single charge. In the year the industry celebrates 200 years since the birth of the modern railway, GWR registered an incredible 200 miles on a return journey from Reading Train Care Depot which took in [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47,85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-269861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rail-news","category-uk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=269861"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269861\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":270378,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269861\/revisions\/270378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=269861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=269861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=269861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}