Climate and the rail industry
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NewsUnion Pacific ready to test hybrid locomotive
USA: Union Pacific is to begin testing the first of six diesel-battery-hybrid shunting locomotives during May. The railway has produced a prototype locomotive at its workshop in North Little Rock, Arkansas, working with loco control technology supplier ZTR which designed the hybrid propulsion system. A second ...
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Rail Business UKPorterbrook to electrify Long Marston test track
UK: Porterbrook has announced plans to renew the 3·5 km test track at its Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre and install 25 kV 50 Hz electrification. Testing will be possible at speeds of up to 75 km/h, with the capability to support ETCS. ‘Substantial replacement of ...
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NewsCSX rolls out hydrogen fuel cell locomotive
USA: CSX has rolled out the first hydrogen-powered locomotive it has produced as part of a partnership with Canadian Pacific Kansas City which was announced last year. The rebuilt EMD GP40-2 was modified to work with fuel cells and batteries at CSX’s Huntington, West Virginia workshop. ...
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NewsElectrification of two Dutch regional railways funded
NETHERLANDS: The government has confirmed co-funding for the electrification for two regional lines in the provinces of Overijssel and Gelderland.
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In depthPortugal: South International Corridor nears completion
Trains have started running on the first section of the 80 km Évora – Elvas direct line, which is now expected to open in 2025, shortening the TEN-T corridor serving ports in southern Portugal and paving the way for a revival of international passenger services. André Pires reports.
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NewsDublin – Belfast electric-battery trains funded
EUROPE: Funding is now in place for the procurement of electric-battery inter-city trains to increase frequencies and reduce journey times on the cross-border Enterprise service between Dublin and Belfast which is operated jointly by Iarnród Éireann and Northern Ireland Railways. An order for eight 1 600 ...
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NewsCN to test diesel-battery hybrid main line locomotive
CANADA: CN has purchased a hybrid diesel-battery main line locomotive from Progress Rail, which it intends to use to assess the opportunity for retrofitting a portion of its fleet. The ‘plug-in’ hybrid mainline locomotive, which CN describes as ‘a first of its kind in North America’, ...
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NewsMaintenance vehicle converted to fuel cell power
AUSTRIA: An X534 overhead electrification construction and maintenance railcar has been converted from diesel to fuel cell power. Austrian Federal Railways’ technical service unit TrainTech worked with engineering consultancy m.ZERO to integrate fuel cell power modules from Cummins’ zero-emissions business Accelera into the vehicle as part ...
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NewsSecond Bratislava to Austria line to be electrified
SLOVAKIA: Infrastructure manager ŽSR has started work on the long-planned electrification of the short 2·4 km single-track link from Devínska Nová Ves to the Austrian border at Marchegg. The €10·9m EU co-funded project includes 25 kV 50 Hz electrification, new signalling and rehabilitation of tracks and ...
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Metro Report InternationalOntario Line electrification contract awarded
CANADA: NGE Group’s TSO subsidiary is to design and supply 1·5 kV overhead electrification for Toronto’s Ontario Line metro project. The contract has been awarded by Hitachi Rail as part of the Connect 6ix consortium, which was awarded the Rolling Stock, Systems, Operations & Maintenance contract ...
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NewsSelf-propelled battery wagon deployed on mining railway
USA: Battery and automation technology company Intramotev has announced the successful deployment of its ReVolt self-propelled battery-electric vehicle as part of a standard freight train. ReVolt uses regenerative braking and batteries to reduce a diesel locomotive’s fuel consumption and thus costs and emissions. ...
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NewsZillertalbahn hydrogen plan dropped in favour of battery traction
AUSTRIA: Plans to replace diesel traction on the narrow gauge Zillertalbahn with hydrogen have been dropped in favour of battery operation. Decarbonisation is planned as part of the railway’s medium-term investment programme for 2025-30, and could save an estimated 900 000 litres of diesel per year. ...
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NewsFirst Mireo Plus B battery-electric multiple-units enter service
GERMANY: An initial four Siemens Mobility Mireo Plus B battery-electric multiple-units entered passenger service on Netz 8 Ortenau routes in Baden-Württemberg on April 8. ‘We are writing a new chapter in railway history’, said the Land‘s transport minister Winfried Hermann. ’Trains operating in the Ortenau region ...
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NewsNext-generation Multi-Purpose Vehicle on test
SWEDEN: Railcare is testing its second-generation Multi-Purpose Vehicle, which has been developed with ABB and can both operate and charge its batteries via overhead electrification. ‘Combining electric power with the possibility of switching to battery power is an advantage on sites where there is no overhead ...
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NewsLong-distance electric-diesel-battery trainset unveiled
ITALY: Trenitalia has unveiled its first long-distance trainset which can operate on electric, diesel or battery power. Being supplied by Hitachi Rail, the HTR412 trainsets are equipped to operate in four modes: overhead electric power only, diesel only, battery only or hybrid battery plus diesel. It ...
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In depthDecarbonisation: Accelerating the electrification task
Network Rail is now deploying UK-based Gripple’s SwiftLine Rail Dropper, which the supplier believes will speed up key steps in the installation of overhead electrification equipment.
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In depthDecarbonisation: Schleswig-Holstein pioneers a battery traction network
An ambitious programme to operate a network of local rail services in north Germany using battery-powered trains is expected to save 10 million litres of diesel fuel a year, as Toma Bačić explains.
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NewsBattery tender for freight loco to be developed
AUSTRALIA: Freight operator Aurizon has been awarded a A$9·4m grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to develop, test and trial a battery electric tender to be used in conjunction with a modified diesel locomotive. The tender, described as ‘essentially a big battery-pack on wheels’, will ...
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In depthTraction Technology: The weak case for hydrogen
Reinhard Christeller examines the state of the art for using hydrogen in rail traction, and finds that the case for widespread adoption is weak, even if emerging ‘white hydrogen’ fuel holds more potential.
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NewsRail sector welcomes step towards emissions calculation standardisation
EUROPE: The European Parliament’s Environment and Transport committees have jointly adopted a draft report on a proposed EU Regulation which would establish a common methodology to enable fair comparisons of the greenhouse gas emissions from different modes of transport. This was welcomed by the Community of ...