Trams and light rail vehicles are to be replaced by an environmentally friendly train powered by biomethane. It could be used on routes where electrification is not worthwhile.
Electricity will be the energy of the future, which is a problem for rail transport. Smaller and less used routes would have to be electrified. Your deficit would grow. The engineers at Ultra Light Rail Partners want to replace stinking diesel railcars. In the future, they are to be operated with biowaste and faeces, more precisely with biomethane. A railcar combines drive and passenger space in one unit; strictly speaking, it is not a train in which a locomotive moves the coupled passenger cars without its own drive.
Biogas as a fuel
The technology is not new. In the films of the “Mad Max” series, electricity in Bartertown was obtained from pig manure. Biomethane is a biofuel that can be made from a variety of waste products, including sewage sludge, agricultural crop residues, animal dung and food waste. All of these substances are broken down by bacteria, which create a gas that is used as a cleaner alternative fuel.
The technology is far less complex than driving with a hydrogen cell. The biggest advantage, however, is that the fuel is produced from waste that would otherwise have to be disposed of. Human feces have not been used as fertilizer for a long time. Raw materials that are harmful to health can also be used for biogas plants, because the gas produced is always free of pollutants and, moreover, is not reintroduced into the food cycle.
During combustion, CO2 is released, but that would also have happened if the raw materials had been degraded naturally. The UK government is promoting the development of the sustainable railcar, which will carry up to 120 passengers. In addition to the new drive, the car should become lighter, which in turn helps to save fuel. The railcars in service are often based on very old designs that are very solid and the development of which has given little consideration to consumption.
Covid-safe ventilation
Beverley Nielsen, Chair of Ultra Light Rail Partners, said, “This is a vote of confidence in our company as it focuses on providing easy, affordable rail travel as a comfortable, modern, reliable and safe alternative to the car.”
“We want to be able to offer this option to cities and towns across the UK so that they can remove polluting vehicles from their city centers and town centers to improve the quality of life for all.”
The development also draws on the experience of the corona pandemic. The car is given a shower with ultraviolet light to kill viruses, and a special ventilation system is designed to keep the risk of infection low.
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