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My question is more about the transitions— how much of a bother it would be to get the pantograph up and down. Like, would you want the 20-30% of the electrified line to be a single continuous section down the middle of it, or can you have it be 30% of every block with gaps anywhere it's even slightly inconvenient to route the line?

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For context, Thameslink operates a route through central London, and transitions from overhead power in the north to third-rail in the south. This happens when stopped at stations and is fairly quick - the pantograph/shoes are raised/lowered around the same time as the doors open - the dwell times seem the same as usual.

As for charging, Jago Hazzard has a video on a fast-charge trial[1] for a battery-only route. As it's using a modified tube train, I'd assume it's lighter and thus requires smaller batteries, but recharging from third-rail takes roughly 4 minutes.

[1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV441HnVI34

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