Great Western Railway (GWR) will introduce the UK’s first battery-only powered train into passenger service on Saturday 31 January. © Great Western RailwayThe introduction follows a 22-month trial of fast-charge battery technology on the same route. GWR’s fast‑charge trial has shown just how promising this technology is and today marks another important milestone for the industry. In July last year, GWR published a white paper outlining the findings of the fast-charge trial. As part of its future rolling stock strategy, GWR has indicated that battery trains would need to routinely travel more than 60 miles between charges.