Surveying the State of Alternative Fuels for Rail Industry

Experts Marcin Taraszkiewicz and Jarrett Davis Share Insights with Global Railway Review

The rail industry is actively pursuing alternative fuels to reduce carbon emissions and reliance on traditional fossil fuels, with promising options like renewable diesel and hydrogen gaining traction. These fuels offer significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, though they also present challenges such as fuel availability and infrastructure modifications. 

Two HDR experts on decarbonization and alternative fuels contributed to an industry roundtable recently with Global Railway Review. Marcin Taraszkiewicz, rail and transit vehicle technology lead, and Jarrett Davis, alternative and emerging fuels lead, discussed how alternative fuels impact the efficiency of trains, the key challenges of implementing alternative fuels and the most promising fuels now being implemented across the rail industry. 

With ongoing technological advancements and decreasing costs, coupled with environmental incentives and decarbonization goals, the trajectory points toward increased adoption of alternative fuels in the rail industry, akin to the growth seen in other renewable energy sectors over time.

“As research continues and the technology is refined, we’ll see the cost to adopt alternative fuels continue to decrease,” Davis said. “In the U.S., incentives abound to encourage the adoption of alternative fuels to realize the decarbonization and environmental benefits.”

Read the whole alternative fuels interview with Davis and Taraszkiewicz in the Q1 2024 issue of Global Railway Review.