Freight rails trying other locomotive fuels to cut emissions

The large freight railroads crossed North America proceed to experimentation with alternate locomotive fuels arsenic a mode to trim their greenhouse state emissions.

BNSF railroad said Wednesday that it plans to trial retired a hydrogen-powered locomotive on its lines, joining Canadian Pacific successful experimenting with that technology. Canadian National railroad precocious announced plans to trial retired a battery-powered locomotive to haul freight crossed Pennsylvania, and Union Pacific has said it would similar to effort utilizing battery-powered locomotives successful immoderate of its railyards erstwhile they are much wide disposable successful a fewer years.

Several different past tests astatine different railroads person looked astatine earthy state powered locomotives and artillery powered options. Using immoderate operation of these caller substance options volition beryllium cardinal to helping the railroads execute their goals to importantly chopped their emissions successful the coming years.

Both of the large locomotive manufacturers, Wabtec and Caterpillar's Progress Rail unit, are moving connected processing locomotives that usage different fuels.

But the railroads each caution that these are lone aviator tests astatine this stage, and the caller exertion won't beryllium acceptable to commencement replacing the diesel workhorses that person been pulling freight crossed the continent since World War II for astatine slightest respective much years.

"This exertion could 1 time beryllium a lower-carbon solution for line-haul service, arsenic it has the imaginable to trim c emissions and stay outgo competitive," said John Lovenburg, BNSF's vice president of environmental.

BNSF didn't accidental however rapidly it expects the hydrogen-powered locomotive it plans to usage volition beryllium acceptable to effort retired portion a Canadian Pacific spokesperson said it plans to statesman utilizing 3 hydrogen-powered locomotives astir the state of Alberta sometime adjacent year. CP received a $15 cardinal assistance earlier this twelvemonth to treble the magnitude it planned to put successful the program.

Before the railroads could marque wholesale changes successful their locomotive fleets, they would person to put millions successful caller fueling stations and different infrastructure. And immoderate changes would apt person to beryllium somewhat standardized crossed the manufacture due to the fact that the large freight railroads regularly walk locomotives backmost and distant to support trains moving efficiently.

BNSF said it plans to enactment with Chevron to assistance acceptable up the fueling infrastructure it volition request for its hydrogen test.

Another happening that volition apt dilatory the modulation to caller fuels is that railroads typically usage locomotives for decades to get the astir retired of their concern successful them. And the large freight railroads person thousands of locomotives successful retention presently due to the fact that operational changes the manufacture has made implicit the past fewer years person allowed them to usage less locomotives to usage less locomotives due to the fact that they are relying connected progressively longer trains

The Association of American Railroads commercialized radical points retired that railroads are already importantly much businesslike than trucks astatine delivering freight. On average, freight railroads haul 1 ton of freight much than 480 miles per gallon of fuel, but the large U.S. railroads inactive devour much than 3.4 cardinal gallons of diesel substance each year.

The railroads already put successful an assortment of measures that assistance them amended the ratio of its trains, including systems that run similar cruise power to assistance engineers usage the slightest magnitude of substance imaginable arsenic they transverse the countryside.

"Every locomotive, portion of instrumentality and operational determination is an accidental to trim substance usage and thrust down emissions," said Ian Jefferies, president of the obstruction commercialized group. "Working with suppliers, railroads are piloting alternate and little c solutions crossed the federation susceptible of delivering for some the system and environment."

In summation to experimenting with locomotive fuels, Norfolk Southern besides precocious announced a program to put successful 800 caller railcars that each value 15,000 pounds little than the existent cars successful use, which volition besides assistance trim emissions.

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