INNOTRANS: Italian company Bitimec has launched a battery-powered version of its SEP1000 train washing machine.

The use of a 200 Ah lithium battery rather than a diesel engine makes the machine cleaner and quieter, and the absence of exhaust emissions means the SEP1000LH can be used inside depots.

The machine is designed to be driven alongside stabled trainsets, enabling them to be cleaned without needing to be moved. The height of the brush can be adjusted to suit working from track or platform level.

Long-established in the Italian market, Bitimec has recently begun supplying train washing machines to customers in China, which is ‘a good market for us’, according to company President Bruno Tiesi.