South West Trains invests £2.2 million into new braking system

New technology to reduce CO2e emissions by 8,000 tonnes.

South West Trains is investing £2.2 million to fit more than 200 trains on their network with a major regenerative braking system.

The new technology will return electricity to the third rail system, allowing trains in close proximity to draw on the electrical supply.

The initiative is conservatively expected to save £15 million kWh of electricity annually when fully implemented.

South West Trains carries around 190 million passengers a year on a network covering 607 route miles.

The first two trains of the Class 458 fleet are starting to test the technology in passenger service on the London Waterloo-Guildford and London Waterloo-Reading routes, and the whole fleet of 30 is expected to be fitted with the new software by the end of May 2010.

The system will then be rolled out to South West Trains' fleet of 172 Desiro trains.

The completed project is expected to reduce annual fleet CO2e emissions at South West Trains by around 8,000 tonnes, based on 5 per cent of the energy from braking being picked up by another train.

The regenerative braking project is part of a major £11 million investment across Stagecoach Group as part of its new sustainability strategy.

South West Trains Engineering Director Christian Roth said: "The roll-out of the regenerative braking system will deliver a significant step-forward in the environmental performance of our trains."

"We estimate that our energy consumption on the Suburban network, where the first trials are taking place, will be reduced by up to eight per cent."

Further information:
South West Trains