Trains: engines and fuel - briefing note

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 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.”

Notes to Editors

• Contact the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Press Office on 020 7973 1261 or email media@imeche.org if you would like to speak to Jenifer Baxter. A copy of the technical briefing note is attached to this press release.
• The Institution of Mechanical Engineers was established in 1847 and has some of the world’s greatest engineers in its history books. It is one of the fastest growing professional engineering institutions. Headquartered in London, we have operations around the world and over 120,000 members in more than 140 countries working at the heart of the most important and dynamic industries such as the automotive, rail, aerospace, medical, power and construction industries.