Denmark plans to trial battery-powered trains on two railway lines from next year. Credit: Ministry of Transport and Housing, DSB / Rene Strandbygaard.

The Danish Ministry of Transport and Housing has announced that it will begin trials of battery-powered trains on two railway lines in Denmark next year.

Battery trains are currently being tested in Austria and Germany. In this development, the governing bodies of Copenhagen, Zealand and Central Jutland reached an agreement with the Danish Minister of Transport Benny Engelbrecht to allow testing in their districts.

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From the end of next year, battery trains will operate on the line from Helsingør to Hillerød in North Zealand, as well as on the Lemvig line in northern West Jutland.

Prior to this agreement, the ministry conducted an analysis of the operations of battery trains in collaboration with DSB and Movia in North West Zealand. They concluded that the line from Holbæk to Nykøbing Sjælland was appropriate for battery trains. This means that it would be feasible to replace the existing diesel trains with battery trains at the end of their lifespan, in approximately 2025.

Engelbrecht said: “A test of battery trains in Denmark will provide the relevant parties with useful experience from practical operations before we potentially place an order on battery trains for passenger operation.

“At the same time, it will give passengers the chance to try battery trains in daily use on the Danish railways. My hope is that we will see battery trains in daily operation in Denmark from the mid-2020s.”

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In June, German public transport authority Schleswig Holstein (NAH.SH) selected Stadler to supply of 55 battery-powered FLIRT Akku multiple units. NAH.SN is the first buyer of Stadler’s FLIRT Akku trains, which were introduced by in October 2018.

Last year, Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) and Siemens Mobility revealed the prototype of the Desiro ML Cityjet eco, a battery-powered train.