Sierra Northern Railway unveils new hydrogen-based locomotive design concept

Sierra Northern Railway (SERA) unveiled the new look for its industry-leading Hydrogen Powered Switching Locomotive.

This Zero Emission switching locomotive is moving forward and is scheduled to be completed. The California Energy Commission awarded $4,000,000 for designing, integrating, and demonstrating a hydrogen fuel cell switching locomotive. The locomotive will prove the potential of hydrogen fuel-cell technology to reduce transportation air pollutants and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The project involves the integration of an advanced hydrogen fuel cell, hydrogen storage, advanced battery, and systems control technologies to provide an alternative to less environmentally friendly diesel-powered locomotives.

When built and demonstrated, it will benefit the community by improving local air quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, noise, and odour, helping California achieve the state’s environmental goals.

SERA will provide additional information to the industry about its solution in the coming years as it builds, demonstrates, and validates the technology as it prepares to establish a platform for widespread commercialization in the immediate future.

Sierra Northern Railway (SERA) is the technical lead, partnering with GTI Energy as the formal applicant to the California Energy Commission. Other technical partners are Railpower Tech LLC, Optifuel Systems LLC, UC Riverside Center For Environmental Research and Technology, Velocity Strategies, Valley Vision, Ballard Power Systems, WHA International, Southern California Gas Company, the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District and The Low-Carbon Resources Initiative (LCRI).

Kennan Beard, President of Sierra Northern Railway, said, “This new look combines the future of hydrogen (dark blue) with California’s green future (dark and light green) with Sierra’s strong tradition of switching locomotives for the goods movement sector.”