JR West to Switch to Diesel Biofuels
(NHK World-Japan) Japanese rail operator West Japan Railway is moving to slash emissions by using biofuels in all its diesel trains by 2030. JR West’s president says the company wants to change from using light diesel oil to next-generation biodiesel fuels made from plants or algae called euglena.
The company expects the switch to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 55,000 tons a year as biofuels are considered to emit no CO2.
JR West plans to start testing engines running on the fuels in the current fiscal year. It will conduct trials with passengers on board in fiscal 2024, and start introduction into service in fiscal 2025.
JR West says it will be the first railway company in Japan to carry out long-term tests with trains run totally by biofuels. READ MORE