New light rail vehicle and drivetrain concepts for catenary free operation of branch lines

This paper proposes a new light rail train concept suitable for battery-only, hydrogen and diesel operation of branch lines. A simulative methodology is presented, analyzing these drivetrains within the new train concept. The simulation features a detailed train model, including a propulsion and an auxiliary model. System effects such as the use of waste heat for heating the train are considered, analyzing the drivetrain options in detail. 31 railway lines in Germany and France are analyzed taking various environmental conditions into account. The drivetrains are compared assuming climate neutral operation based on hydrogen and diesel made from electricity. The battery train is the most energy-efficient solution, followed by hydrogen which can be an option on longer tracks. The diesel train needs twice as much energy as the hydrogen train, which makes it not economically suitable.