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FROM THE RAILNEWS PAGES.

Energy-efficient railcars for West Midlands branch line
Go-ahead for clean, green People Movers
Posted 25 January 2008 12:00 | From Railnews print edition, Jan 2008

A £700,000 deal for two environmentally-friendly railcars to operate on the Stourbridge Town branch has been agreed by new West Midlands franchise operator London Midland, vehicle supplier Parry People Movers Ltd and train leasing company Porterbrook.

The clean, green and quiet PPM 60 vehicles will start operation in December this year.

They feature lightweight construction and a hybrid system using flywheel energy storage, which dramatically reduces energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions compared to that of conventional trains. The light axle loads of the railcars also cause less wear and tear to the track.

At just three-quarters of a mile long, the branch line (which connects the town centre station with the Kidderminster to Birmingham line at Stourbridge Junction) is the shortest on the national rail network. Once the new railcars are in service, London Midland will re-deploy the present single-coach train to improve capacity elsewhere.

A prototype railcar was successfully operated on the branch in 2006 and in its franchise bid, Govia, which owns London Midland, proposed using similar vehicles.

Parry People Movers was founded in 1991 to develop rail transport based on a new innovation. Called the flywheel energy store, it allows rail vehicles to run extremely efficiently and to recapture their braking energy for re-use when accelerating.

The technology is licensed by JPM Parry & Associates Ltd, a West Midlands engineering firm specialising in overseas development and innovative transport, as well as energy and environmental issues.

Caspar Lucas, projects manager for Parry People Movers, said: “The new railcars are the right solution for the Stourbridge branch line – efficient, clean and quiet.

“Our technology is perfect for these short branch lines and offers a new way forward, particularly for the re-opening of closed railways as well as on routes like this one.”


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