The Liverpool City Region Merseyrail network could be expanded after testing of the new fleet showed it can travel for 135km using only battery power.
It had been hoped the long-awaited new class 777 trains would start to arrive on the local rail network before the end of 2022, but last week it was confirmed passengers will have to wait until the new year to step on one of the modern, new trains.
The new fleet of state-of-the-art trains were first purchased for the Liverpool City Region back in 2016 for £500m, but their roll-out has been delayed because of various factors including the pandemic and a long-running industrial dispute with the RMT union.
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This was a blow for Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, who told BBC Radio Merseyside: "My ambition has always been to get them on the tracks before the end of the year - issues like Brexit, the pandemic and other factors have put us behind schedule. If you want to blame me for it, then I'll hold my hands up."
But while the wait for the roll-out of the new trains goes on, there is some more positive news coming from the train's Swiss manufacturers Stadler.
Posting on social media, in comments first reported by Liverpool Business News, Stadler Project leader Joaquim Font Canyelles confirmed that new testing had shown how far a number of the trains will be able to run on battery power alone.
He said: "Our new Merseytravel Class777 IPEMU (Independent Powered Electrical Multiple Unit) proved its strength after running 135 km fully loaded and without external current supply, which is much longer than we expected.
"This unit is an upgrade of the “normal” EMU, first of the 7 we are building, that will also operate the non-electrified lines next to the Merseyrail network, connecting the city of Liverpool to its surroundings, so future services will be created and passengers won’t need to change to diesel units anymore. This is a pioneering technology that will modernize transport in the UK, help decarbonizing the mobility and bring passengers back to the rails."
He added: "We are just finishing the type-testing in Germany, so you’ll see the IPEMU running in Merseyside very soon. Can’t wait for that."
Last year it was first revealed that battery-powered trains had been tested as part of plans to expand the Liverpool City Region Merseyrail network. Seven of the new fleet of trains have been fitted with batteries which enable them to operate on tracks without a third electrified rail.
This capability means the trains could eventually provide a direct service from to places like Preston and Wrexham. Under Mayor Rotheram's Merseyrail for All plans, the network could also be expanded to Carr Mill in St Helens, Woodchurch in Wirral and The Baltic Triangle in Liverpool, where plans are already underway for a brand new station.
The dual-powered trains will initially run on services to a new station at Headbolt Lane in Kirkby, which is expected to open in the summer of 2023.
Speaking about the fact that the new trains will not begin rolling out before the end of 2022, A spokesperson for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, which purchased the fleet of trains from Swiss manufacturer Stadler, said everyone is "working around the clock" to get the trains onto the tracks as soon as possible but that "events beyond the control" of the authority meant this would now have to wait until 2023.
The spokesperson said: "The region's new trains will be the most accessible, sophisticated fleet in the country - and will be owned by the people of the Liverpool City Region. Everyone is working around the clock to get the trains on the tracks as soon as possible, however, events beyond the Combined Authority's control over the past few years, such as flooding at factories and the Covid-19 pandemic, have delayed the roll out. Despite these setbacks, we’re working to roll the new fleet out as quickly and safely as possible.
"Elsewhere on the train network, work remains on track to ready the network for the new fleet. Successful battery testing at the test track was completed earlier this month, which opens up the possibility of further expanding the network in the future as part of Mayor Rotheram's 'Merseyrail for All' pledge to connect underserved parts of the region to the Merseyrail network."
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