The hybrid TER travelled over 8,000 km with no major problems, serving most of the Toulouse railway hub and performing just as well as existing electric/diesel trainsets.

Between now and the end of 2024, our hybrid TER will also run in the Grand Est and Centre–Val de Loire regions, both partners in the project.

Developed by Alstom, this next-generation train is France’s first effort to hybridize a multiple unit.

Hybrid trains draw on three different energy sources as needed:

• electricity from catenaries
• thermal power from engines
• energy stored in batteries

In our new dual-mode trainsets—Régiolis units that originally ran on electricity and diesel—half of the thermal engines are replaced with high-capacity lithium-ion batteries. Braking energy previously lost as heat is recovered by the batteries and used to supply traction, lighting and heating. The batteries also boost traction when catenary tension drops below 1.5 kV, and can be recharged with energy from catenaries and the train’s thermal engines.

This new battery storage system generates significant savings. Braking energy is equivalent to around 30% of traction power on Régiolis routes, and early trials in Occitanie showed that 90% of that energy was recovered.

“This should help us reach one of our top goals: cutting fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 20%,” says Philippe Adam, hybrid train project leader in our Tech4Rail programme.

To decarbonize TER operations even more, we replaced diesel with hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) for the first time during the trial period in Occitanie. 

And the hybrid TER offers passengers yet another advantage: less noise. “In battery-only mode, the train can arrive and depart silently. That’s particularly important in stations with canopies, such as Toulouse, Castres and Rodez,” says Philippe Adam.