WEST
SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 6, 2023
/PRNewswire/ -- Sierra Northern Railway (SERA) continues to lead
the industry in the conversion of diesel locomotives to
hydrogen-fueled, zero- emission locomotives. On July 6, 2023 the California State Transportation
Authority announced that it will fund Sierra Northern Railway's
industry leading initiative to convert three additional diesel
switching locomotives to hydrogen-powered zero, emission
solutions.
Sierra Northern Railway is receiving funding from the
State of California, California
State Transportation Authority, Port and Freight Infrastructure
Project Funding through a public-private partnership with
the Sacramento Metropolitan
Air Quality Management District. The total project
cost will be approximately $19,500,000 to expand on its current efforts by
developing, demonstrating, and testing three additional
hydrogen-fueled, zero-emissions switcher locomotives. The testing
will be conducted on the soon to be constructed test track in
SERA's West Sacramento rail yard.
When this project is completed in quarter four of 2027, it will
expand the SERA Hydrogen Zero Emission Switching Locomotive Fleet
to a total of four locomotives and will help SERA lead the way to
eventually convert the entire SERA fleet to hydrogen powered
zero-emission switchers as well as all 260+ switchers in
California to a Sierra Hydrogen
Powered Zero Emission Switcher Locomotive.
This award builds on the 2021 award by the California Energy
Commission grant to undertake a first-generation hydrogen-fueled,
zero-emissions switcher locomotive where SERA is retiring an older
tier 0 diesel locomotive and replacing it with a zero-emission
switching locomotive using cutting-edge hydrogen technology. Both
the Energy Commission and the California State Transportation
Authority projects involve the integration of an advanced hydrogen
fuel cell, hydrogen storage, advanced battery, and systems control
technologies to provide an alternative to less environmentally
friendly diesel-powered locomotives.
Kennan H. Beard III,
President of Sierra Northern Railway said, "SERA is
extraordinarily proud to be awarded the funds by the California
State Transportation Authority as we continue to lead the industry
converting our fleet of switching locomotives to hydrogen powered
zero emissions locomotives. We believe that through creative
public-private partnerships like we have with the Sacramento
Metropolitan Air Quality Management District we can help the
State of California achieve its
goals of converting all switching locomotives to a Zero Emission
Solution."
Alberto Ayala, Executive
Director of the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management
District stated, "The District is proud to play a role in the
development and deployment of hydrogen locomotives in the
Sacramento region. With over 25
years of experience implementing successful clean air projects for
heavy-duty on-road and off-road vehicles, we are ready to support
this new public-private partnership with SERA to build and
demonstrate these hydrogen-fueled, zero-emission fuel cell electric
locomotives. This technology will provide significant air quality
and environmental justice benefits to communities surrounding the
Port of West Sacramento, as well
as reduce global warming gases, noise, and odor. The project puts
Sacramento squarely in the clean
energy transition while helping California achieve its decarbonization
goals."
The project partners working together to execute this innovative
effort include Sierra Northern Railway, the Sacramento
Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, Railpower Tech
LLC, Ballard Power Systems, Velocity Strategies, Gas Technology
Institute, WHA International, UC Riverside, College of Engineering
- Center for Environmental Research and Technology and Valley
Vision.
Sierra Northern Railway (SERA): Sierra Northern Railway
is the freight division of privately owned, Sierra Railroad
Company. Sierra Railroad Company is also the principal owner of
Sierra Energy Corporation, which has developed a proprietary waste-
to- clean hydrogen technology: FastOx® gasification.
Sierra Northern Railway currently operates approximately 75 miles
of track in Northern California
and 30 miles in Southern
California through the heart of a number of the Golden
State's prime industrial areas, serving a wide variety of
customers, and interchanging with both BNSF Railway and Union
Pacific Railroad. http://sierranorthern.com
- Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District:
http://www.airquality.org
- Railpower Tech LLC:
https://railpowertech.business.site
- Ballard Power Systems: (NASDAQ: BLDP; TSX: BLDP)
https://www.ballard.com
- Velocity Strategies:
https://velocity-strategies.com
- GTI Energy: https://www.gti.energy
- WHA International: https://wha-international.com
- UC Riverside, Center For Environmental Research and
Technology: https://www.cert.ucr.edu
- Valley Vision: https://www.valleyvision.org
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SOURCE Sierra Northern Railway