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10/6/2021
Vivarail has retrofitted rail cars with Lithion Battery’s Valence battery modules for Pop-Up Metro, a rail pilot project to be introduced in the United States.
Vivarail's train was the first battery-powered train in series production in Europe and this latest train is believed to be the first train powered by lithium iron phosphate in operation in the United States, according to a press release issued by Lithion Battery.
The original concept for Pop-Up Metro UK was a battery-powered, modular train that can easily be integrated into any existing rail infrastructure in any metropolitan region.
"A lot of urban areas in this country have underutilized freight lines that could also support transit service. People might not have considered these opportunities because it's been perceived as too expensive, too lengthy and too risky. With Pop-Up Metro, you can do that project quickly on a demonstration basis," said Henry Posner III, chairman of Railroad Development Corp. (RDC).
Pop-Up Metro is an initiative intended to expand the size of the transit-rail market by allowing metropolitan areas with existing light-density freight-rail lines to establish demonstration operations of a transit-rail system on a rapid timeline and for the cost that they might otherwise pay for a consulting study, according to RDC's website.
RDC owns a 50% interest in Vivarail in association with its management team. Vivarail was founded in 2012 with the primary objective to build a new type of passenger rolling stock for urban, commuter and rural railways across Britain, based on conversion of former subway trains.