UK Rail Operations Group Gets The Keys To Their Tri-Mode Locomotive
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on RailFreight.com.
This is the sub-heading.
A Green Milestone, in every sense. Delivered in an eye-catching livery reminiscent of British Racing Green, Rail Operations Group may well have called the delivery of their first Class 93 tri-mode locomotive, a leap forward in reshaping the future of operations. It is certainly an environmental first strike on behalf of the rail industry in the race to a net-zero carbon economy.
Note.
- There are thirty on order.
- It can haul both freight and passenger trains.
- It has a maximum speed of 110 mph.
- The development history in the Wikipedia entry is a good read.
It certainly looks an impressive locomotive and the livery will get it noticed. But then you don’t hide your best light under a bushel!
Operations
This section in the Wiki9pedia entry is entitled Proposed Use, where this is said.
ROG intends to pair the locomotive with a new generation of freight wagons that would run at a maximum speed of 100 mph (160 km/h), comparable to that of contemporary passenger trains. Trains formed of such wagons would be easier to insert into timetables around and between existing passenger trains, increasing flexibility and potentially creating capacity for more freight trains on the national network.
In addition to freight, the Class 93 has also been designed to accommodate the haulage of passenger stock, including a variable-height Dellner coupling and a three-step Westcode brake in addition to its conventional two-pipe air brake.
The Class 93 locomotives will surely be very impressive hauling freight heavy trains to and from Felixstowe, on the electrified Great Eastern Main Line sandwiched between the 100 mph express passenger trains.
- What weight and length of train, these locomotives can haul in and out of Felixstowe?
- What destinations will they be able to reach using the electrification from Ipswich?
- Will they be able to take shorter trains to the Midlands via Ely and Leicester?
It will be interesting to see where these locomotives operate.
Hydrogen Bus Fleet Project Gains Momentum
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article from Energy Live News.
This is the sub-heading.
Luxfer Gas Cylinders and Ricardo have formed a partnership to advance a project that aims to deploy 150 hydrogen-powered buses on UK routes by 2024
I first came across this project in June 2022 and wrote Ricardo Repowers Double Decker Diesel Bus With Hydrogen Fuel Cells, where I said this.
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Ricardo.
Ricardo, a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company, in partnership with Stagecoach North East, has repowered a diesel, double decker bus with a hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system. Delivering zero tailpipe emissions, Ricardo is now seeking to secure customers to invest in the production of a fleet of passenger vehicles fit for the future of sustainable shared mobility.
The project, part funded by the Department of Transport, through its Hydrogen Transport Hub Demonstration competition, saw Ricardo, working with Stagecoach North East to retro-fitted hydrogen fuel cell technology into an existing double decker bus. It created a zero emissions demonstrator that is now undergoing a ten-week test and demonstration programme around the Tees Valley and Brighton and Hove. Feedback and data from the trials will support the team to explore future market opportunities and applications with bus operators and other partners across the UK and beyond.
Given that there are around 38,000 existing buses in the UK, many of which still have a few years of life left, this surely must be an affordable way of creating more zero-carbon hydrogen buses.
It appears that Ricardo are aiming to have an initial batch of 150 buses in service from late 2024.
It looks to me, that this project is certainly gaining momentum.
The Anonymous Widower 