Electrification, battery trains, third rail – Finding solutions for South Western Railway’s network
We visited Salisbury Traincare Depot, home to South Western Railway’s Class 159 fleet. Richard speaks to Neil Drury, Engineering & Infrastructure Director for SWR about how the operator is thinking about the electrification challenge on its network.
In this episode:
00:00 Intro
01:21 How is the work on the Isle of Wight’s Island Line going?
02:35 Weather challenges at Honiton Tunnel and elsewhere
04:10 Vegetation encroachment onto the railway
05:34 Future for the West of England Line
08:21 More third rail?
11:38 Is the plan for West of England similar to GWR’s Greenford Branch plans?
13:30 Is it feasible to retrofit current rolling stock?
17:07 How about retrofitting Electric Multiple Units instead of buying new trains?
18:38 SWR could be one of the first operations to be nationalised next year…
20:28 What customers feel and will see
22:12 Introduction of Arterio trains
Credits: Thanks to Network Rail, South Western Railway and Shutterstock for images and footage for this episode.
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Credits:
Presenters - Nigel Harris (@railnigel on X) & Richard Bowker CBE (@SRichardBowker). General Manager: Stef Foster (@stefatrail)
This video explores potential solutions for decarbonising South Western Railway’s network, including electrification and battery-hybrid technology. It features a visit to Salisbury Traincare Depot, where discussions take place with South Western Railway's Engineering & Infrastructure Director about challenges and future plans. Topics include the progress of electrification on the Isle of Wight’s Island Line, weather-related issues at Honiton Tunnel, vegetation encroachment, and the potential for retrofitting rolling stock or using Electric Multiple Units. The video also touches on comparisons with other railway projects in the West of England.
Fishplate has identified 11 locomotives in this video. We’ve also matched 5 operators . Create a free account to see where they appear, unlock timestamps and locations, and view the full breakdown.
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