DOE launches RFI regarding rail decarbonization

In Washington, the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization set the goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in the transportation sector – including rail – by 2050. This transformation requires coordination among all aspects of the rail supply chain including feedstock supply, alternative fuel production, locomotive engine manufacturers, safety implementation, customer demand, and government regulation.

To set domestic rail on an ambitious net-zero emission trajectory, commercially viable, well-to-wheel net-zero emission line-haul locomotives are needed in the domestic fleet by 2030. Thus, an ambitious alliance is needed between the private sector, research institutes and regulatory entities to develop, demonstrate, and deploy net-zero locomotives and infrastructure together by 2030 to make net-zero propulsion the natural choice for railroads. The propulsion technologies under consideration for this RFI for transitional, interim use until 2030 are: biodiesel, renewable diesel, ammonia, methanol, hydrogen fueled internal combustion engines, and ethanol. The technologies under consideration for this RFI for mid- to long-term use are: hydrogen fuel cells, batteries (tenders or built-in), and direct electrification (catenary), or a combination of different technologies. Each alternative propulsion technology comes with its own set of regionally sensitive advantages and disadvantages.

The purpose of this RFI is to aggregate knowledge from rail stakeholders to help direct actions regarding future propulsion technologies, infrastructure requirements, and coordination among key stakeholders to ensure that the rail sector is meeting or exceeding U.S. decarbonization milestones. DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is specifically interested in information on the rail sector stakeholder’s current alternative fuels trajectory, the driving forces behind it, and the key barriers to achieving this transition.