The UK railway is committed to removing diesel only fleets from the network by 2040.  In railway terms, this is a pressing deadline, as new vehicles built today would easily be expected to have an economic service life of 40 years, well beyond the 2040 deadline. This means new carbon free traction systems need to be developed to deliver autonomous  traction on routes without overhead electrification. Hydrogen is emerging as a strong contender to provide this traction capability. The HydroFLEX train has demonstrated its viability and is ready to enter service trails on the mainline network. This presentation will give an overview of how the technology works, its strengths and weaknesses and what types of application it is best suited for, and where you should electrify.

Speaker

Professor Stuart Hillmansen is Professor in Railway Traction Systems within the School of Engineering at the University of Birmingham. He completed a PhD in Imperial College London. His main area of research interest is in traction systems for use in railway vehicles, and modeling and measurement of energy consumption for railway systems (both AC and DC). His team have developed the 1st Hydrogen Fueled locomotive in the UK, and is currently heavily involved in the industry’s efforts to decarbonize.

This event was organised by the Midlands Power Group.