About The Greenford Class 230 Battery train
Their Mission
The Great Western Railway (GWR) Class 230 is the UK's first fully battery-operated passenger train to enter service, running on the Greenford branch line as of January 31, 2026. Developed from converted London Underground D78 stock, this three-car train uses pioneering 750V DC fast-charge technology at West Ealing, requiring only ~3.5 minutes to top up. The unit holds a world record for battery-electric travel, having covered over 200 miles on a single charge
and thousands of Famous Trainspotters came to ride The NEW Greenford Trains last Saturday and this Saturday too and it was an amazing seeing all these trainspotters turn up.
But of course Some Of Us have Autism and are too afraid to talk to our favourite trainspotters that we watch on YouTube or TikTok but it doesn’t matter as it won’t be the last time we’ll see each other, as we’ll probably see them at another train event coming up as the next one is an old stream tour starting at King’s Cross at 07:15 on Saturday which means trainspotters like us will have to get there for 07:15 and I don’t fancy getting up that early but I’ll see and tell mum and dad about it.
Welcome to Internationaltrainbus
GWR Broke the Record for 200 Miles Per Hour on a D Stock Battery Train!!!
The UK’s first train running only on rapid-charging batteries has officially opened to passengers and set off on the tracks of west London.
It has replaced its diesel counterpart on the two-and-a-half-mile Greenford branch line, using technology that Great Western Railway (GWR) has been trialling on the route since May 2024.
Batteries fitted to a former London Underground District line train are topped up during four-minute turnarounds at West Ealing station.
GWR said, in July last year, that the initial findings of its trial showed the infrastructure needed to charge battery trains was cheaper than full electrification.
A month later, the train set a new world record of 200.5 miles for the longest distance travelled by a battery train on a single charge.
Its passenger services will initially be restricted to Saturdays – starting with the 5.30am departure from West Ealing to Greenford – but it is hoped its usage will be increased throughout the year.
