Aurizon, the largest rail freight operator in Australia, is planning to invest 18.8 million dollars (17.3 million euros) to phase out diesel fuel and embrace renewable energy sources. The project entails pairing “a big battery-pack on wheels” with modified locomotives to operate as a hybrid unit.
Half of the investment is covered by a grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, while Aurizon will take care of the other half. This initiative aims at enabling battery-electric locomotives to have a range of up to 850 kilometres, as Aurizon explained.
The company started investing in battery-electric locomotives in May 2023, when it commissioned Progress Rail to retrofit one of its diesel-powered vehicles. The refurbished vehicle is expected to commence trials in 2025. It is estimated that it will have a range of 400 kilometres. By adding the set of batteries that is being developed with the new project, this range will thus more than double. Trials involving battery-electric locomotives plus the battery pack shall start by 2026, according to Aurizon.
Aurizon is open to using hydrogen
If embracing battery-electric locomotives is something the European Union shares, Aurizon is also willing to use hydrogen to replace traditional diesel fuel. The company has been working with Anglo American on a feasibility study to introduce hydrogen-powered trains for bulk freight. The two companies concluded that a combination of hydrogen and battery would be the preferred configuration due to limited hydrogen storage space on the locomotives. In Europe, however, hydrogen is not considered a significantly valid option due to its costs and the difficulties in transporting and storing it.
