West Japan Railway to develop lithium battery train

West Japan Railway Co. (JR West) announced that it will develop a lithium ion battery train which will be operational by 2020. The company expects to save 10% in energy consumption, lower its carbon dioxide emissions and reduce noise pollution by switching from diesel to battery-operated trains. There should also be savings in rail maintenance and fuel purchases. JR West said it has organized an R&D group to start the development of a prototype by next year. The new system will have batteries that can be recharged when the train is stopped. The new train is also expected to come equipped with a regenerative braking system, which will allow the battery to be recharged from the energy when the train brakes. (May 19,2011)