£1million boost for businesses as Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre investment continues
WARWICKSHIRE companies have scooped £1m-worth of business as part of an ongoing revamp of Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre.
Porterbrook, which took over the site a year ago, says it plans to spend millions more with local firms.
The company, which owns about a third of the country’s rolling stock, has already invested £3m in the site upgrade.
A third has gone to local suppliers who have been used to tarmac and grit the roads on-site, supply marquees and awnings and provide roofing and drainage and security services.
The 135-acre site is used as a test base for passenger and freight operators to try out new technologies for Porterbrook’s customers which includes Chiltern Railways, Great Western Railway, West Midlands Railway, Network Rail, ScotRail, South Western Railway, Southeastern and Transport for Wales.
The ongoing refurbishment at Long Marston includes a long-term project to upgrade the 3.5km test track loop.
The site also houses offices, conference space, rolling stock storage, a training centre plus 150km of sidings.
Porterbrook, which has its head quarters in Derby and offices in London, turned heads at November’s COP26 climate summit in Glasgow when it exhibited its HydroFLEX, which can operate under three modes – electric, battery and hydrogen power.
VIPs who flocked to see it included Prince Charles and prime minister Boris Johnson.
HydroFLEX, which was extensively tested at Long Marston before being taken to COP26, is still in development but has been praised as a model for ‘the train of the future’ that could help slash carbon emissions.
In a hydro chamber area, fuel cell technology is used to combine hydrogen with oxygen to generate clean electricity, and power the vehicle.
Porterbrook has invested £10m in the HydroFLEX train and 30 companies have contributed to its development.
Visitors to last month’s rail exhibition Rail Live UK at the Rail Innovation Centre had a chance to go on board HydroFLEX and see the hydro chamber technology for themselves.
Meanwhile, Porterbrook’s HybridFLEX project with Chiltern Railways and Rolls-Royce is shortlisted for the environment and sustainability category in this year’s Modern Railways magazine’s innovation awards.
The technology can be used to retrofit diesel engines so that they can run off electric battery units for at least part of the journey, slashing carbon emissions by up to 25 per cent.
This means electricity can be used to power trains, even when no electrified rail infrastructure is in place.
Switch-over to battery mode is usually used as the train comes into and leaves a station, as it cuts air pollution and noise. And when the train is running on diesel, the battery automatically charges.
One of the HybridFLEX battery-diesel shuttle trains was used last month to ferry visitors to Rail Live UK, between Honeybourne and Long Marston.
The train, the first battery-diesel hybrid to reach 100mph, is the result of a four-year partnership between Porterbrook, Chiltern Railways and Rolls-Royce.
In February, Chiltern put it into passenger service to and from London Marylebone on routes including to Aylesbury, Birmingham and Oxford.
Porterbrook chief investment officer Stefan Rose told the Herald: “One year on from taking over the Long Marston site, we are seeing the benefits of our £3m investment to upgrade and enhance the facilities.
“Many companies from Warwickshire have played their part in improving the site over the last year, supporting our vision as we continue to unlock Long Marston’s full potential as an invaluable asset for the railway to test and trial new and innovative traction technologies.”
