MTA will test battery-operated railcars on the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) in a pilot program on the railroad’s Oyster Bay branch, officials said Monday.
MTA LIRR President Phillip Eng announced the railroad had entered into an agreement with Alstom to test batteries that could power railcars. After an eight-month analysis, the rail line will retrofit a two car-long train to operate on battery power without passengers on the Oyster Bay Branch. The train would run on third rail power and charge the batteries while on the electric portions of the route, then switch to battery power on the unelectrified segment between East Williston and Oyster Bay.
“People have been talking about extending electrification to various segments of the railroad for generations,” Eng said. “Embracing new technology might allow us to essentially electrify the entire railroad without the need for billions of dollars in massive capital investments. The MTA is already transforming the LIRR through East Side Access and Main Line Third Track; this is potentially a no less profound transformation for the rest of the railroad.”
As part of the assessment, technicians will determine where recharging stations might be needed along the route and other branches. Recharging would take place in yards when trains are out of service, as well as while in-service, if necessary.
If successful, officials said, LIRR would ultimately be able to carry passengers between Oyster Bay and the railroad’s terminals in New York City, as well as expand to the rest of the railroad’s diesel branches. Officials chose Oyster Bay Branch because of its short, 13-mile trip.
“Part of the analysis will tell us if we need additional charging stations for longer distances, how fast can a battery recharge in a 60-second station stop, and if we decide to go further, how many charging stations would be required,” Eng said. “If we have the ability to improve service on Oyster Bay, that improves service on Port Jefferson, Montauk, and Ronkonkoma, respectively. Everybody benefits.”
Officials said the test appears to be the first test of battery-powered commuter rail cars in North America. If it is successful, the technology could be deployed in diesel commuter trains anywhere they operate on the LIRR or Metro-North Railroad.