Battery-powered trains emerge as lower-cost, eco-friendly alternative

Railway operators are replacing rural Japan's diesel-guzzling trains with new battery-powered rolling stock, taking advantage of the low-maintenance, environmentally friendly modern technology to cut costs and emissions.East Japan Railway Co. began using battery-powered trains on the Oga Line in Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan, in March, following a similar change on the nonelectrified Karasuyama Line in Tochigi Prefecture. Kyushu Railway Co. has also been using battery-powered trains on a nonelectrified section of the Chikuho Line in Fukuoka Prefecture in southwestern Japan.Battery-po…READ FULL ARTICLE