*Article* **A Preliminary Techno-Economic Comparison between DC Electrification and Trains with On-Board Energy Storage Systems**

### **Regina Lamedica 1, Alessandro Ruvio 1,\*, Manuel Tobia 1, Guido Guidi Bu**ff**arini 2 and Nicola Carones 2**


Received: 17 October 2020; Accepted: 15 December 2020; Published: 18 December 2020

**Abstract:** The paper presents a preliminary technical-economic comparison between a 3 kV DC railway and the use of trains with on-board storage systems. Numerical simulations have been carried out on a real railway line, which presents an electrified section at 3 kV DC and a non-electrified section, currently covered by diesel-powered trains. Different types of ESS have been analyzed, implementing the models in Matlab/Simulink environment. A preparatory economic investigation has been carried out.

**Keywords:** railway system; energy storage system (ESS); lithium batteries; supercapacitor; Simulink; sizing; catenary-free
