EDITOR’S CHOICE
TRAINS: ENGINES AND FUEL
IMECHE
DR JENIFER BAXTER SHOWS HOW
DIFFERENT FUELS AND ENGINES CAN
DETERMINE A TRAIN’S EFFICIENCY
Transport Minister Jo Johnson said
recently that we should look to bi-
mode and hydrogen trains to fill the
gap left by cancelled electrification
projects, however this is not the best
engineering solution for reducing
emissions produced by the rail
network.
This technical briefing note from the
Institution of Mechanical Engineers
shows how different fuels and
engines can determine a train’s
efficiency.
The best solution for reducing
emissions from the rail network
on a national basis is greater
electrification. This should be on a
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rolling programme to prevent the
costs associated with the stop-start
approach which the UK has seen in
recent decades.
Britain needs to move ahead with
trialling hydrogen and liquefied
natural gas trains as a step towards
replacing ageing diesel trains, as both
fuels are suitable for local transport
networks as they are produced in
regional industrial hubs.
Testing the new trains should
be carried out as part of a wider
industrial forum for low and zero
emission transport systems which
brings the rail industry together with
car-makers and energy suppliers.
“We urgently need to decarbonise
our transport, including the rail
industry, as climate change becomes
increasingly evident across the
globe,” said Dr Jenifer Baxter, Head
of Engineering at the Institution and
lead author of the briefing note.
“Although not cost-effective or
efficient for a full roll-out across the
UK rail network, there are really good
regional opportunities for hydrogen
and LNG produced by regional
industry to power local trains and
buses.”
www.imeche.org