UK's first long-distance battery-powered trains announced

Brand new battery-powered trains will speed up travel in the north of England, the government said in an announcement on Friday.

The 29 trains will be built in a factory in Derby which, the government says, will create 350 new jobs.

Battery-powered trains are better for the environment than diesel trains, as they produce less pollution.

But how does a battery-powered train work?

When trains were first invented, their engines were powered by burning wood and eventually coal – a type of fossil fuel. They were known as steam engines.

As transport technology developed, train engines were fuelled in new and more convenient ways.

Diesel fuel replaced coal, as it was cheaper and more efficient – meaning it saved train operators and customers money to travel.

But while diesel makes journeys cheaper, it has some problems.

Diesel engines are very loud and noisy. They also produce lots of nitrogen oxide and harmful particles which pollute our atmosphere.

So what was the solution? The electrification of railways.

More modern trains are now powered by electric systems running alongside train tracks.

For example, a train can get its electric power from wires that run over the tracks, known as overhead wires.

Or they can get power from something called third rail electrification, where trains make contact with an electric conductor rail, often made out of steel.

A paper published by the Railway Industry Association (RIA) in 2023 says electric-powered trains are cheaper to run than diesel trains, and are often much more reliable and more energy efficient.

But according to the government's Office of Rail and Road (ORR), nearly 20% of the UK's trains are still running on diesel alone.

Many diesel trains run on tracks that aren't electrified. In Great Britain, the OOR says only 39% of track is electrified.

There are a number of reasons why many UK tracks aren't electrified.

Often it's because it can be too complicated and therefore too expensive to add electrification to a line.

This is where battery-operated trains can be a solution.

They can run between destinations without any electrification, and can charge when they reach stations or final destinations.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the new trains would deliver "faster, more reliable journeys to the north and thousands of British jobs for the next generation".

The trains will run between major northern towns and cities including Liverpool Lime Street and Scarborough, Manchester Airport and Saltburn, and Manchester Piccadilly and Hull.

The project will cost £1 billion, with an aim to get the trains in service by 2034.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander spoke to the BBC at Alstom.

She said: "It is good news. It's about building the railway that the country needs to support the economy, but it's also about making sure that, in our economic heartlands - places like Derby - we've got really high skilled jobs for the future."