Research shorts
Have low-carbon freight locomotives got the power?
The UK government has made a statutory commitment to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. To work towards this goal, we need to reduce our reliance on diesel and explore alternative traction options that meet the future needs and support a modal shift of freight from road to rail.
The GB rail freight sector must understand how much traction power freight locomotives need to meet operational requirements. Several non-diesel and multi-mode traction power locomotives are on the international market, and some are being introduced on the GB rail network, but questions remain around their suitability for the different types of GB freight operations.
This research project developed a model of traction power and energy requirements for freight corridors, to improve understanding of the performance demands on locomotives.
The model was tested on five freight corridors, with performance, energy demand, and emissions calculated for six case studies along each of these routes. A range of operational scenarios were tested, designed to assess the potential strengths and weaknesses of increasing the length, axle-load, and speed limits of freight in the future. These were compared across the five routes, with changes to schedules, including additional or fewer stops, to determine how the same train may perform differently in these scenarios. The model also allows users to calculate the potential reductions in emissions, including carbon of alternative freight modes.
Read about our work in this area and our research report DECARB: Low Carbon Freight (T1229).
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