German rail (DB), the privatized national carrier, has converted two lightweight diesel railcars to operate on compressed natural gas, and claims that they are the first of their kind in the world.
The cars operate on the Baltic resort island of Usedom, which is served by a 60-kilometer (37-mile) rail network.
Not only has the environmentally friendly propulsion system reduced emissions dramatically. The railcars can travel 750 km (466 miles) farther on a full tank of CNG than in their earlier incarnation when they were powered by a diesel engine.
Averaging about 35 years of service, the cars were converted to CNG propulsion last year by MAN, which replaced the diesel engine in each unit with an Otto engine that can be powered by CNG. The railcars can be refueled in about 10 minutes at a CNG depot installed by the company, where the gas is stored in fuel tanks under 250-bar pressure. The cost of the conversion by the railway's research and development department has been put at about 1 million DM, or slightly more than $550,000.
Emissions measurements taken during test runs showed a reduction of nitrogen oxides by about 97 percent, carbon dioxide by 84 percent, and hydrocarbons by about 70 percent--figures that are far below the most stringent of the European emissions standards now under discussion. The CNG engines also operate more quietly than their diesel counterparts and generate no carbon residue.
In partnership with rail vehicle manufacturers, DB and SNCF, the French national rail carrier, are also planning to develop a lightweight natural gas railcar. The project has aroused considerable interest in Europe.
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