Which US Rail Agencies Are Buying Zero-Emissions Trains?

U.S. rail agencies are looking to shift to zero-emissions trains by using battery-powered and hydrogen-fueled trains, and Smart Cities Dive’s Dan Zukowski outlines some of the biggest projects currently underway. 

In California, where the state has committed to building a zero-emission passenger rail network by 2050, a hydrogen-powered train is expected to go into service in San Bernardino County in November. The train broke a record during testing for traveling 1,741.7 miles without refueling or recharging. Hydrogen-powered trains emit only water vapor as a byproduct, limiting air pollution in surrounding communities, and are a better solution for longer distances where electric trains might require recharging.

While electrified trains and streetcars are nothing new — in fact, they’re more than a century old — many of the networks that existed in U.S. cities were dismantled or fell into disrepair, and systems using overhead wires or third rails are expensive to maintain. Battery-powered trains can operate on the same rails with less infrastructure, making it possible to extend electrification projects into more areas where the cost of wiring would be prohibitive.