German railway operator starts test-driving battery-powered trains

Berlin, Jan 25: Germany's railway operator, Deutsche Bahn have started test operations for battery-powered passenger trains.

Manufactured by French company Alstom, test runs for the Battery Electric Multiple Unit kicked off on regional services in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, reports Xinhua news agency.

They are scheduled to last until the beginning of May, and another test run in Bavaria is planned for early February, Deutsche Bahn said.

"Test operations got off to a successful start this morning with the first train," a spokesperson for Deutsche Bahn told Xinhua.

The train, which has 150 seats, should cover a total distance of around 50,000 km by May.

The battery-electric train was developed by Alstom and the Technical University of Berlin, with the support of the national organisation for hydrogen and fuel cell technology.