Business News: Railroads Look for Cleaner Fuel As Diesel Emissions Targeted --- Batteries, biodiesel and hydrogen seen as new ways to power locomotives

"Railroad operators like to say that trains are greener than trucks when it comes to moving goods, pointing out that one railcar can haul three to four times as much as a truck, and one freight train can remove hundreds of trucks from the highways.

Although the freight-rail industry is responsible for less than 2% of transportation-related greenhouse-gas emissions in the U.S., rail carriers -- like the rest of the transportation industry -- are under pressure to reduce those emissions, much of which are produced by diesel-electric locomotives.

As a result, freight operators are investing in diesel-electric models that are more fuel-efficient, as well as exploring alternative ways to power locomotives, homing in on three main technologies: batteries, biodiesel and hydrogen.

Coming up with cleaner alternatives to diesel-powered locomotives isn't easy. Any alternative would need to be able to haul freight across mountainous and desert regions, in various weather conditions and temperatures. That, combined with the complexities involved in building new refueling infrastructure and access to constrained supplies, make it unlikely that zero-emission locomotives will be widespread by the mid-2030s as called for in the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization, the industry says.

"At this point, there is no clear winner in the next-generation locomotive fight," says Bascome Majors, an analyst at Susquehanna International Group.

Battery-electric locomotives are one emissions-reducing option but their power storage capacity, and therefore their range, limit how they can be used -- at least for now.

Major freight railroads are using or plan to use battery locomotives in some of their port-unloading and rail-yard operations. Some short-line railroads are testing them, too. But with energy capacity of around 2.4 to 2.7 megawatt-hours, these locomotives have far less range than a 5,000-gallon diesel locomotive, which has roughly 76 megawatt-hours of energy.

This year, rail-equipment and technology provider Wabtec plans to deliver locomotives with battery capacity ranging from 7 to 8 megawatt-hours. Longer freight trains are often powered by multiple locomotives, so the idea is to add a battery-powered model into the mix to reduce fuel consumption.

"With battery technology in locomotives, it's 'and' rather than 'or,'" says Eric Gebhardt, chief technology officer of Pittsburgh-based Wabtec.

Still, research and testing focused on increasing battery capacity is continuing. One feature being tested is regenerative braking, which captures kinetic energy when a train decelerates or goes downhill and converts it into electrical energy that can be stored in the battery.

Another hurdle facing battery locomotives is how long it takes to charge them. "Diesel locomotives can be fueled in 20 to 30 minutes today, compared to several hours of charging time, which affects operational viability," says a spokeswoman for Berkshire Hathaway-owned BNSF Railway in Fort Worth, Texas.

Some smaller rail operators also have reservations about the reliability of battery locomotives, especially in freezing temperatures.

In recent years, major rail carriers including Union Pacific, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, or CPKC, have tested or started using various blends of biodiesel and renewable diesel.

Wabtec, which also modifies locomotives so they can burn both alternative fuels and regular diesel, has said this option has the potential to reduce carriers' carbon emissions by as much as 60%.

At least two freight railroads in North America, Canadian Pacific Kansas City and CSX, are testing hydrogen fuel-cell locomotives. With this technology, hydrogen gas is fed into the fuel cell to generate electricity, which powers the locomotive's motors.

Hydrogen fuel-cell locomotives emit only water vapor and they have more energy capacity than battery locomotives, though not as much as diesel locomotives." [1]

1. Business News: Railroads Look for Cleaner Fuel As Diesel Emissions Targeted --- Batteries, biodiesel and hydrogen seen as new ways to power locomotives. Fung, Esther.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 23 May 2024: B.3.