Virgin train that puts its power back into the tracks a real signal of intent

TRAINS are commonly thought of as a more environmentally-friendly travel option than planes or cars. They are, of course, not zero-emission items. Any train trip creates emissions. But the industry takes its environmental responsibilities seriously and is working on its carbon footprint.

Arthur Leathley, the communications director at Virgin Trains, says that the regenerative braking mechanisms on Virgin's new generation of Pendolino trains on the West Coast route return energy to the National Grid through the rail tracks.

The trains' "reverse thrust" traction motors slow the train down and generate up to five megawatts of electricity for the national grid. They also dramatically reduce the amount of dust generated by conventional frictional disc brake pads.

The supplier, Alstom, worked very closely with the infrastructure provider, Network Rail, to ensure that the Pendolino meets rigorous UK power supply requirements and that the upgraded West Coast power supply was capable of absorbing the full reverse thrusting power flow if several Pendolinos braked in the same area.

In tests, a Pendolino travelling at 110 mph stopped easily within one signal section in pouring rain, with the conventional disc brakes only being used once the train was in almost at a standstill. While Virgin was the first operator to use the regenerative braking technology in the UK, it has now also been adopted by Eurostar.

"We put about 17 per cent of our electricity back into the grid. But that is just the start. We also generate about 17 per cent less emissions per mile of passenger travel than people going in cars," says Leathley.

Perhaps because the train is seen as far more eco friendly, Virgin's plans to expand its services here attract no trouble from protestors. The company plans to run well over 30 per cent more trains in the coming months. It is picking up the route rates between Birmingham to London and between Manchester and London, a plan that will give it well over 30 per cent more trains every year. This should give Virgin a bigger slice of the train market and will pull business from the air market – something that should put a smile on the face of the green lobby, he comments.

"We can run a train every 20 minutes between London and Manchester, and between London and Birmingham," Leathley says. He points out that similar increases in frequency have in effect killed off the air market between Liverpool and London.

He adds: "Two main airline operators have already pulled out of the Liverpool-London route precisely because we constitute such a good alternative."