THE Canadian government released its Hydrogen Strategy for Canada on December 16, which aims to support plans to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and “cement Canada’s position as a global, industrial leader of clean renewable fuels” as part of its post-Covid economic recovery.
The strategy outlines the potential of hydrogen-electric traction powered trains as a viable alternative to diesel traction – particularly, for heavy-haul, long-distance freight, in addition to some passenger services similar to Ontario’s Go Transit regional network.
The report highlights the advantages of hydrogen power as a green power alternative for lines where full electrification shouldn’t be economical or too disruptive.
“Greenhouse gas emissions from diesel trains are a big contributor to global warming, and diesel transit trains produce local air contaminant emissions that contribute to poor air quality in city areas,” the report says. “Authorities are under rising pressure to reduce carbon emissions from rail services, however different electrification choices are costly, and require huge infrastructure upgrades.
“Hydrogen trains require no electrification infrastructure and may run on present, unmodified tracks. Hydrogen permits a gradual transition, versus infrastructure rebuilds that disrupt service and require an upfront funding to electrify all trains concurrently.”
The strategy highlights Alstom’s rollout of Coradia iLint hydrogen trains on German regional networks, for which Ontario-based manufacturer Hydrogenics Corporation supplied the fuel cells. Hydrogenics was bought in September 2019 by American diesel engine manufacturer Cummins.
Along with Alstom and Cummins, Siemens has announced plans to ship not simply trains, but also full turnkey hydrogen fuel systems to railways.
The strategy also highlights a project by Greater Toronto’s Metrolinx transport authority to modernise the GoTransit regional rail network system, which has confirmed that it’ll take into account hydrogen as a possible alternative to electrification.
The Metrolinx Hydrail research, revealed in 2018, investigated the feasibility of utilizing hydrogen trains as a substitute for electrification, and concluded that upgrading the Metrolinx network to hydrogen is both technically and economically feasible to build and function, and that the costs involved are equivalent to that of a conventional overhead electrification system.
The hydrogen strategy describes the research as “the most complete look at hydrogen rail in Canada to date.”
The strategy also means that hydrogen may initially be adopted by the rail freight industry to power depot shunting locomotives, with the potential to expand using the technology via retrofitting.
“Early studies assessing freight applicability of hydrogen concluded that hydrogen for freight shunting is technically and economically possible,” the study says. “Retrofitting locomotives and replacing diesel engines with zero-emission fuel cell engines is a viable and cost-effective alternative to purpose-built hydrogen trains, which is an important opportunity, given the long 50-year-plus life cycle of locomotives.”
