Deutsche Bahn wants to drive forward the electrification of its infrastructure with so-called catenary islands. Construction of the first islands has now begun in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The lines will not be completely equipped with overhead lines, but only shorter sections. Battery trains will then be used on the lines, charging their batteries on the electrified sections and using the stored energy to travel on the remaining sections. The planning and costs of such islands are considered to be significantly lower than the electrification of entire lines.
The battery trains will be manufactured by Siemens. The state of Schleswig-Holstein has ordered 55 of them there, and the first are expected in May of next year.
By the end of 2023, catenary islands away from stations are also to be built along the state's west coast. By 2040, Deutsche Bahn wants to handle all of its traffic in a climate-neutral manner. “Creative solutions like the catenary islands for battery-operated trains will help us achieve this goal," said Berthold Huber, the member of the Board of Management of Deutsche Bahn AG responsible for infrastructure.
But until then, there is still a lot to do. Only about 62 percent of rail tracks in Germany have overhead lines.
The diesel fleet could be significantly reduced, at least in passenger traffic. But a large proportion of Deutsche Bahn's diesel locomotives are used for freight transport in shunting yards. The company wants to reduce their number to zero in the medium term. But battery-powered locomotives are not an alternative there due to their lack of power. Instead, Deutsche Bahn is relying on hybrid and dual-power locomotives for freight transport, which also have a diesel engine but can also use overhead lines if they are available.
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