WASHINGTON — Amtrak has pledged to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across its network by 2045, the company announced Thursday.
“With new equipment, modernized stations, and net zero emissions, Amtrak can lead the drive toward sustainable transportation throughout the nation,” CEO Stephen Gardner said in a press release.
The company said its efforts to reach the goal would include:
— Increased energy efficiency, along with use of renewable fuels and energy;
— Reduced reliance on diesel fuel through pursuit of fuel-cell, hydrogen, battery, and other zero-emission technologies.
— Reliance on 100% carbon-free electricity by 2030 through renewable energy generation and power purchase agreements.
“We are seeing a new generation of travelers who are conscious of their environmental impact,” Amtrak President Roger Harris said. “This is providing a significant opportunity to attract rail riders well into the future.”
The announcement came just two days after two California agencies announced an agreement to purchase up to 29 hydrogen-fuel-cell trainsets for use in Amtrak California operations [see “Stadler unveils first hydrogen train for U.S. …” Trains News Wire, Sept. 21, 2022].
More information on Amtrak’s sustainability efforts is available at this page on the Amtrak website.
Much interesting commentary here.
On current trends of utter organizational dysfunction and incompetence at Amtrak, will they (Amtrak) still be around in 2045?
Pointless ‘Virtue-signaling’ (?) (‘Net Zero’ by 2045?)
Is this net zero absolutely or net zero at the point of use?
Apparently, Amtrak still feels confident in its ability to finesse a segment of Congress that eagerly remains gullible to this effort to be distracted from Amtrak’s decision-makers attempts to camouflage their pathetic track record of errors and mistakes. Remember at the beginning of the pandemic experienced how crews and maintenance were forced out, resulting in artificially abbreviated consists; loss of revenue and concomitant higher costs; lack of skilled maintenance to have utilized the extended down period to attend to maintenance/repair issues?
Such puff announcements like this re the environment offered up by the same leadership team that left Amtrak in pieces from their over reaction to the pandemic carry little credibility, particularly when covered in the same manure from the wonders in Marketing declaring (with no data) how new riders are actually interested in how Amtrak’s proclamation impacts the environment. That’s as pathetic as claiming younger riders preferred eating meals in their rooms to avoid sharing tables in the diner (pre-pandemic).
Rather than faking how Amtrak leadership has its hand on the pulse of Congress and is acutely aware of its travelers, why not learn to appreciate reality–travelers of any age seek clean trains, decent quality and priced catering, and reliable schedules without the need to extend to help the Class 1s meet their bonuses. Yet, Amtrak leadership refuses to see the tree from the forest, e.g., how Sunnyside OBS tolerate filthy toilets on overnight trips vs. west coast OBS crews tend to their duties far more efficiently. What about management no longer washing long distance trains; failing to use its imagination to serve all passengers in dining car; cease using food/beverage ledger to dump (‘hide”) costs producing ridiculously priced menus?
No Congress, Amtrak does not require any further wasted investment in consultants; instead, competent railroad people who know to find a “drape” in the vestibule; not in a compartment.
I doubt Amtrak will be running any trains by 2045 and therefor achieving their emissions target.
…at least outside the NEC. Hey, this is Gardner’s ticket to achieve his goal!
I agree. If something doesn’t change, I expect Amtrak to be gone somewhere between 2030 and 2040. I have no idea who will be operating the NEC but it won’t be named Amtrak.
How about Amtrak setting a goal of restoring the Adirondack and the Silver Meteor before 2045? How about adequate consists on all LD trains before 2045?
This is certainly a fanciful notion, heavily influenced by rose colored glasses and kool-aid… dispensed Inside the Beltway.
I don’t know the average age of Amtrak’s diesel locomotive fleet, but it must be around 25-30 years. At the present time, a limited number of new Siemens charger locomotives are being added at $6 million each. Six years after ordering, the first few are in service. It will be the late 2020s before the 30 yo GE klunkers are retired.
Now we’re served up hopium that in 23 years all diesels will be gone and the shop and fueling infrastructure surrounding diesels will be replaced by hydrogen and charging stations for battery powered locomotives.
Consider Avelia Liberty trainsets construction began in 2016 and the earliest they will enter service is 2023. This is old technology that will use existing infrastructure. Hydrogen powered trains are strictly in a prototype and development mode. It is not in mass production anywhere.
Is it plausible that perpetually underfunded Amtrak can make a transition to net zero in 22 years using technologies that are experimental prototype or do not even exist?
If we want an electrified Amtrak, the whole project should be outsourced to China. The US simply doesn’t have the expertise or initiative to pull this off.
Am I the only one to call total BS on this total BS?
No, Charles, it’s total BS. Currently, their electric systems run off of coal and natural gas. They’d better start breaking ground TODAY on a bunch of nuclear plants if they plan on carbon-free power by 2030. What a crock.
Total BS. If only they would spend this time, effort and money providing a better product to the traveling public. No trains at all also produce “zero net emissions”.
This seems to depend a lot on how hydrogen-battery locomotives work out — Trains Magazine needs to do an in-depth article on this emerging tech.