Watch: We board UK’s first battery-powered passenger train and give our verdict on Merseyrail service

On Thursday morning the first battery-powered passenger train in the UK left the new £80million Headbolt Lane station in Kirkby to make its maiden journey on the Merseyrail network.

The trains are part of Liverpool City Region metro mayor Steve Rotheram’s plan to deliver a London-style transport network to Merseyside. “[It will] set a new standard for public transport in this country,” he said.

The battery technology on the trains removes the need for a live third rail, enabling the Merseyrail network to run to previously inaccessible places, including as far as Manchester, Wrexham, Warrington, Preston and Runcorn.

In a phased roll-out of the new technology, Headbolt Lane station will initially be served by one Merseyrail service per-hour to Liverpool Central, then services will gradually increase to four trains per hour.

We decided to board one of the new trains on their first day of service to check them out for ourselves. Watch the video above for a full tour and the lowdown on the new service.