An electrifying future planned for Bridlington’s land trains

The electric land train is believed to be the first of its kind in the country. Photo courtesy of East Riding of Yorkshire Council

The trains are operated by the council’s Coastal Services team, and although many are new or recently refurbished, it became necessary to replace one of the older trains.

It was agreed to purchase an electric powered train with zero emissions, rather than another diesel powered set.

All the trains are made by Dotto near Venice in Italy, and are purchased through a UK agent, UK LOCO, which established that an electric train would be suitable for the distances and gradients.

The new electric train has a built in 9kw charger which plugs into a three phase 415-volt socket, which already existed at the trains’ storage depot in Carnaby, so there was no need for costly rechargers.

The new train takes ten hours to recharge, so can be charged overnight, and has enough range to work a route all day without further charging.

Councillor Mike Medini, portfolio holder for culture, leisure, libraries and customer service, said: “This is great news for Bridlington! The new electric train looks exactly like our current diesel fleet, but it is quieter and will enhance the council’s carbon neutral credentials.

“It will ensure good positive publicity for the resort and represents another major investment by the council in a greener future for the land trains.”

The front two coaches on the new train can each seat 20 adults, and the rear 13 adults, with a dedicated space for manual wheelchairs. The train has a full PA system, so the driver can make announcements.

The land trains run from Easter until late October on two routes: passengers can travel on the South Promenade land train from the Park and Ride car park to Bridlington Spa, or on the north land train between East Riding Leisure Bridlington and Sewerby Hall and Gardens, stopping at Limekiln Lane and Bondville Model Village.

The council has also recently purchased a small electric Polaris utility task vehicle for Coastal Services, with another on the way for Sewerby Hall and Gardens. Sewerby also has an electric van, as does South Cliff Holiday Park.