On Track to Lower Emissions

by Katie Schroeder and Anna Simet (Biodiesel Magazine) Biodiesel has not been greatly incorporated into the locomotive industry for a number of reasons, but that may be poised to change. -- ... Brightline, Progress Rail, Union Pacific Rail, BNSF Railway and others have ongoing initiatives to do so.

B5 from the Beginning
Using biodiesel isn’t new for high-speed rail company Brightline, the only privately owned and operated intercity passenger railroad in the U.S. “Brightline has been using biodiesel since the start of service,” says Vanessa Alfonso, director of media relations for Brightline, which is owned by Florida East Coast Railway. Alfonso explains that the company will have a total of 21 electric-biodiesel locomotives by the end of 2022, each of which run on a 5%, ultra-low sulfur biodiesel blend.

Local company Florida Power and Light supplies Brightline with a custom blend biodiesel designed for their locomotives.

Alfonso explains that Brightline trains have an increased efficiency of 378% compared to traveling by car and an efficiency of 44% over air travel.

Up to B20: Progress Rail and Union Pacific
As a Caterpillar company, Progress Rail is one of the largest integrated diversified providers of rolling stock and infrastructure solutions and technologies for the global rail industry, which includes battery electric locomotives and hydrogen, and increasingly, renewable fuels. “We are extremely active in the testing and evaluation of higher blends of biodiesel for both rail and marine applications,” says Michael Klabunde, director of power systems product management at Progress Rail. “Biodiesel and renewable diesel fuels offer great advantages for customers to make an immediate impact in reducing greenhouse gasses.”

Recently, Progress Rail approved the use of up to 20% biodiesel blends in specific EMD locomotive series operated by Union Pacific railroad. Previously, the locomotives were approved to operate at 5%. The updated fuel recommendation comes after testing high-horsepower locomotives used for hauling freight long distances, monitoring performance for things such as fuel consumption, as well as impact on engine oil and fuel filters.

Additionally, Progress Rail is working with customers in Asia and South America who have fleets of the company’s locomotives running biodiesel blends, and more testing activities are underway with Union Pacific. “These are for our 1010J engine for our EMD SD70Ace-T4 unit, and we expect to provide updates to the industry as we learn more,” Klabunde says.

The ultimate focus, Klabunde adds, is to enable customers to hit emission targets and do so without radical changes in fueling infrastructure, while maximizing the value and longevity of their existing EMD engines, whether that application be rail, marine or power generation.

Another one of Progress Rail’s partnerships is with Canadian National Railway and Renewable Energy Group, which was announced earlier in the year, and it aims to test high-level biodiesel and renewable diesel blends, up to 100%, through trials and qualifications. The program “will allow CN and Progress Rail to better understand the long-term durability and operational impacts of renewable fuels on locomotives, especially in cold weather, and plan needed modifications to fully leverage their usage over the next decade.”

Several other rail companies are working on similar initiatives, including Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF, both of which have partnered with Wabtec Corp.

Wabtec, Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF
Union Pacific Railroad will begin using a higher biodiesel blend in locomotives it acquired from Wabtec, with a goal of increasing the percentage of low-carbon fuels consumed to 10% of its total diesel consumption by 2025 and 20% by 2030. Per the partnership, in the second half of the year, Union Pacific will begin testing with B20 and R55 renewable diesel on trains powered by Wabtec FDL engines operating in California. Wabtec locomotives were previously approved for B5 and R30 for locomotive engines, of which there are approximately 11,000 in operations today with railroads across the world. As testing progresses, according to Wabtec, it is anticipated that higher percentages of biofuels will be used.

"Biofuels provide a unique near-term opportunity to have a significant impact on reducing carbon intensity." READ MORE