"A potential gamechanger": Siemens Mobility launches new Rail Charging Converter

Siemens Mobility launched its new Rail Charging Converter (RCC) at Rail Live on June 19, in a move which its Joint-CEO for Siemens Mobility UK & Ireland, Rob Morris said was a “potential gamechanger.”

The RCC has been in development for several months at Porterbrook’s Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre, helped by funding from both Porterbrook and Innovate UK.

Special guests at the event, which was held at the Siemens village at Rail Live included Catherine Atkinson MP, Porterbrook Chief Executive Officer Mary Grant and Morris.

Atkinson said: “What we are seeing with the RCC is the kind of innovation and problem solving that the industry is very good at.

“Of course, we want to see overhead electrification, but being able to innovate so that we can show what discontinuous electrification can do is part of our industry’s continued progress. So, in that aspect, the RCC is a hugely exciting leap forward.”

Siemens claims the RCC can be installed at locations in as little as 18 months and connected to the local power grid – avoiding any connections to the 275/400kV electricity network.

Speaking to RAIL, Morris said the RCC is a big part of its future plans – plans which don’t necessarily involve diesel as part of its strategy.

“We are always pushing when it comes to innovation. Firstly, we need to get diesel off the network. It is very obvious we need to do that for many reasons. So, we’re producing practical technology to accomplish that, which we think will move the game on.”

Morris contended however that its move towards further electrification was a tricky balancing act, adding: “We’ve got to get that balancing act between the environment and the life cycle costs right, as well ensuring it is the right thing for passengers and freight.”

Grant added that the RCC was an important piece of Porterbrook’s own ambitions, telling the crowd: “This to me, our company and our shareholders is a gamechanger.

“We’ve had our challenges when it has come to power on site here at Long Marston, so we put our heads together and looked at a solution with Siemens. Looking at its benefits and the opportunities it can have for renewable strategies over a 30-year period, I’m sure it’ll play a big part in that.”

Siemens Mobility is hoping the RCC will be involved in several of its current new rolling stock tenders, with multiple operators including Chiltern, Great Western Railway (GWR), Northern, ScotRail and TransPennine Express (TPE) all looking to move away from diesel.