Less so than planes as "pressure cycles" aren't really a thing for terrestrial vehicles... though I recall reading that the class 107s were hastily withdrawn when it was discovered that the structural integrity of the bodyshells had deteriorated significantly. Though I believe it was the welds rather than the aluminium itself that were the source of the problem.
Rather unlikely, one would think, that they’ll see battery conversion at this stage in their lives - although, from a personal perspective, they’d get my vote every time! Another 40ish years of smooth riding and proper seats sounds just grand, although it’d be nice if we could have decent aircon
energynews.biz
On this basis, I can't think of many diagrams that cannot be achieved with battery units in the UK, as things stand.Interestingly some trains in Bavaria which were to be hydrogen and battery, have just been changed to battery electric. Seems in 2 years battery technology has advanced, and now it is cheaper to put in couple of short bits of extra electrification to allow charging at far terminus etc, than to install all the hydrogen refuelling equipment.
Bavaria Ditches Hydrogen for Electric Tilt Trains - Energy News
Tilt trains, which mimic a motorcyclist’s lean in curves, are critical for maintaining schedules on Bavaria’s winding railways. In March 2023, Transport
That's one vehicle I certainly would never travel on!
A cynic might suggeest that that has been more by a realisation that they have no chance against the likes of Yutong in the electric coach market than by a belief in the technology.
This youtube channel "The Electric Trucker" is by a German HGV driver travelling on normal daily HGV runs across Germany at first, then further afield as the business learns the game.
www.youtube.com
www.railforums.co.uk
Why would that be any worse than say, fuel deliveries to their local service station? It's just a tanker full of stuff being handled by people who are trained to do so safely.
www.railadvent.co.uk
Plenty of 50+year old light aircraft knocking around
Diesel is easily contained, stinks and hard to ignite - all the diesel car fires are electrical that use this extreme heat to ignite the fuel tank.
Methane does not itself have a smell - the gas smell is artificially added for safety reasons. Presumably the same would be done with hydrogen.
In a logical world I agree, how many of the new DMUs are operating on lines partly electrified.
That was the plan with the 769s but did not work well on the Reading to Gatwick line and have been scrapped
Hydrogen will never be a mass market fuel for public consumption, but it's perfectly affordable and safe for mass transit use, where refuelling is done in a professional environment where the costs of the stations are spread over a large fleet. London has had a small number of hydrogen buses operating for years.
The 20 hydrogen buses in London and 15 in Aberdeen have been working well low key for the past 4 years.
), isn't a problem with modern diesel engines, that they're massively more complicated and bulkier (due to all the extra technology fitted) so the option of a reengine is much harder than it was before.Same with the 170s being reintroduced by GWR, but there is no rush to currently make diesels more clean before the 2040 target (or whatever it is now?). Perhaps going to cleaner diesel fuel alternatives might be easier?.Back on topic (
For example stock like the 158s and 165s, and even the Turbostars, could give more efficient and cleaner running for another 10-20 years (until all diesels are outlawed) with modern engines of the same generation as the recent CAF stock, but it would be a really hard conversion.
Bodywork corrosion seems to be a major issue - perhaps less so with the 158s as they are aluminium.
that's not what Janus trucks say.
Many North American railroads have stopped buying new locos that are Tier 4 emissions compliant because they cost more to buy, are more complex and use more fuel.Back on topic (