CHILTERN RAILWAYS has become the latest operator to use hydrogenated vegetable oil to fuel its fleet of Class 68s, which are sub-leased from Direct Rail Services for use on the locomotive-hauled diagrams between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street.
The formal launch took place at Marylebone station on July 27, the first day that all Class 68-hauled services were operated by HVO-fuelled locomotives. While several freight operating companies have been using HVO over the past couple of years, it is understood that Chiltern is the first passenger train operating company to adopt the lower-emission fuel.
HVO is made up almost entirely from used cooking oils and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% and air particulates by 85%. A fossil-free drop-in alternative to conventional diesel fuel, itcontainsfew impurities and burns cleanly. It can also reduce other emissions such as nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide, depending on engine type and usage.
Chiltern Railways’ head of engineering, Philip Andrews, explained that while HVO is more expensive than conventional diesel fuel, the operator is determined to reduce emissions. Trials of HVO by other operators has resulted in impressive reductions, he said, with Chiltern now the last operator to use an all-diesel passenger fleet at a London terminus (Marylebone). The fuel can be added to locomotive fuel tanks without any modifications required.
Mr Andrews said that use of HVO fuel does result in a small reduction in performance, but this was negligible and would not affect the overall operation of the Class 68s, with no adjustments to timetables or scheduling required following the switchover – and drivers had not reported any noticeable differences.
68010-68015 are sub-leased to Chiltern from DRS; five of the six are permanently available to Chiltern, while the sixth is shared between the two companies. Mr Andrews said DRS is supportive of the development and the operator is also in discussions with leasing companies Porterbrook and Eversholt Rail about adopting HVO fuel for use in Chiltern’s Class 165 and Class 168 diesel multiple unit fleets.
68014 was given a special vinyl wrap to promote the use of HVO earlier thi
