Sierra Northern Railway completes testing of hydrogen-fuelled locomotive

Sierra Railroad Company division Sierra Northern Railway (SNR) has announced the completion of testing for a four-axle hydrogen-fuelled, zero-emission switching locomotive.

The testing took place at West Sacramento in California and was revealed during the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) conference in Denver, Colorado.

The project received funding of $4m from the California Energy Commission (CEC) to support the design, integration, and demonstration of this locomotive, with administration provided by GTI Energy.

The successful demonstration of the “Hydrogen Powered Zero Emission Switcher Locomotive” paves the way for potential commercialisation in the near future, according to the company.

The introduction of this locomotive is expected to enhance local air quality and decrease greenhouse gas emissions, as well as reduce noise and odour in communities served by short line railroads.

Current switcher locomotives in California consume an average of 50,000 gallons of diesel annually, which could translate to a reduction of more than 12 million gallons of diesel each year.

This reduction is comparable to the fuel consumption of approximately 20,000 light-duty vehicles.

In addition to the CEC funding, Sierra’s funding partners comprise several organisations, including the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality District, SoCalGas, and the Low Carbon Resource Initiative.

Collaborators on the project include GTI Energy, Velocity Strategies, Railpower Tech, WHA International, OptiFuel Systems, Ballard Power Systems, UC Riverside, and Valley Vision.

SNR is also in the process of constructing three additional hydrogen-fuelled, zero-emission switching locomotives. The total estimated cost for this expansion is approximately $19.5m.

The initiative is supported by funding from the California State Transportation Agency and the Port and Freight Infrastructure Project Funding through a public-private partnership with the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District.

Testing for these new locomotives will occur on a newly constructed test track at Sierra’s West Sacramento rail yard.

Upon completion in the fourth quarter of 2027, the fleet of hydrogen zero-emission switching locomotives will increase to four, contributing to the long-term goal of transitioning the entire Sierra fleet, as well as over 260 switchers in California, to hydrogen-powered zero-emission technology.

In February this year, SNR acquired RailPower’s assets, enabling the integration of RailPower’s hybrid technology with SNR’s hydrogen-fuel expertise to develop zero-emission locomotives.