TRIALS involving Great Western Railway three-car battery unit No. 230001 have begun on the Greenford branch.
These are expected to last for 12 months, during which its performance will be tested in all four seasons. GWR engineering director Dr Simon Green told Rail Express on February 29, that although the trials do not necessarily need to carry passengers, the operator hopes that the ‘230’ can be used in passenger service.
He also confirmed that initially RailAdventure will drive the ‘230’ while GWR negotiates with unions regarding the operator’s staff driving the set. The talks were described as positive and he said they mainly related to the cabs fitted to the unit.
The ‘230’ had been carrying out testing between Long Marston, Evesham, Honeybourne and Moreton-on-Marsh. During this period, on February 14, it set a record for the longest distance covered without a charge – 86 miles. The previous record was 84 miles completed by a Stadler Class 777 under test conditions in 2022. Some 1500 hours of testing has also been completed at Long Marston.
On February 16, the ‘230’ ran 70 miles under its own power from Long Marston to Reading, where it
