Trains powered by vegetable oil began running in and out of a mainline station in London on Thursday.
Chiltern Railways is pioneering the “plant based” locomotives in a bid to cut emissions. The lines it uses to Marylebone station are not electrified, meaning that for decades it has had to use diesel trains.
Chiltern, which runs services throughout the Home Counties to Birmingham, Oxford, Bicester Village and Stratford-upon-Avon via Wembley Stadium, said it was the first instance of “hydro-treated vegetable oil” (HVO) being used on passenger trains in the UK.
The fuel is a direct replacement for diesel – meaning there is no need to adapt the internal engines of the locomotives that Chiltern uses to pull the train carriages on its long-distance services between Marylebone and Stourbridge Junction via Birmingham.
The “clean burn” fuel is made from used cooking oil, tallow – the rendered fat or cattle and sheep - and other recyclable waste products.
It will be used on all of Chiltern’s Class 68 locomotive-hauled trains and will “drastically reduce” the environmental impact compared with diesel, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 per cent and soot particulates by 85 per cent.
Chiltern said HVO was more expensive than diesel but it had decided to switch as part of a commitment to decarbonise its services over the next decade.
They are an “interim measure” ahead of hopes of the arrival of electric or battery-powered trains. Chiltern has not had new trains on its network for 25 years.
The move means that almost a quarter of Chiltern passengers will be carried on “green” trains – its five Class 68 locomotives pull carriages that account for 3,000 of the 12,500 seats on Chiltern services.
The Class 68 locos are used to pull five-carriage trains, which are popular with passengers despite being about 30 years old. Chiltern has 25 of these carriages.
It also operates a Class 165 diesel fleet that is 33 years old on its Aylesbury route and 85 vehicles in the Class 168 diesel fleet that is 23 years old to Banbury.,
Chiltern managing director Richard Allan said it was about to seek tenders to replace its Class 165 trains – possibly battery or battery-electric hybrid.
He said: “We are determined toâ¯operateâ¯a railway that is easier, greener, and better for our customers. The conversion of a key part of our fleet of trains to HVO fuel will make a big difference in terms of emissions.
“We have listened to customers and stakeholders who rightly highlighted air quality as a key concern to us, and have taken action to minimise the impact on the environment that these trains have through cleaner, greener fuel.”
Asked why the line was not being electrified, Mr Allan said Chiltern was speaking with Network Rail. “The challenge is how do you do electrification with the funding that would require, and the disruption that would cause,” he said.
“It may be that we end up with partial electrification. We are also looking at battery trains. We are looking at all options to try to modernise and decarbonise Chiltern. The unveiling of these vegetable-treated trains today is the start and not the finish. I’m determined to modernise this railway over the next few years.”
Rail minister Huw Merriman said: “A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 per cent is an incredible achievement that gets us one step closer to realising [net zero targets], and I commend Chiltern on pioneering this fuel.”
William Tebbit, chairman of Green Biofuels, said: “Our HVO allows diesel train fleets across the railway network to enjoy a greener drop-in alternative instead of diesel. Passengers, train and station staff can now enjoy much better air quality.”â¯
The lack of electrification means that Chiltern is the last diesel operator with a London terminus.
Problems refuelling its diesel trains this week have resulted in services to and from Oxford being reduced by half and no service between Aylesbury Vale Parkway and London Marylebone via Amersham.
Westminster council has previously called on the Government to ban diesel locomotives from Marylebone station to improve air quality in the area. Marylebone Road is one of the most polluted roads in the capital.
Diesel trains emit soot particulates and nitrogen dioxide. Residents living near Marylebone station have also complained about the noise from the engines.
Nickie Aiken, Tory MP for the Cities of London and Westminster, said: “Diesel trains not only cause massive pollution but also noise. People’s bedrooms are literally yards away from these trains. To have this new type of train running on vegetable oil is a game changer.”
