Hybrid locomotives aim to halve freight emissions

New locomotives that run on electricity and renewable fuels could reduce rail freight emissions by more than half on a typical journey.

A £150m investment was made into Class 99 locomotives, which were unveiled in Peterborough at GB Railfreight (GBRf) headquarters on Thursday.

Once testing was complete, the new fleet could enter commercial service to move consumable goods and materials across the country this winter.

Andrew Pakes, the MP for Peterborough, said it was a "game changer for our city and the national effort to build a greener, more sustainable future".

The Class 99s run on electric lines where available and switch to renewable fuels elsewhere.

They aimed to reduce the industry's carbon footprint and ensure goods arrived at their destinations sooner.

John Smith, CEO of GBRf, said the locomotives "set a new benchmark for performance and sustainability in UK rail freight".

"It's massive," he said.

"This is seven years in the making from the point of having the idea to replace our existing diesel trains with this bi-mode locomotive, to ordering them, to financing them, to them actually being built and delivered to the UK."

Mr Smith hoped the decarbonising locomotives would help grow rail freight in the UK as it was "far less carbon emitting than road transport".

Transports from GBRf included materials for house building, aviation fuel to airports, clothes, white goods, wine and materials used to heat homes.

Jon Garner, senior operation training manager, told the BBC it was "a real pleasure" to drive and "fantastic for our office and the community".

"I've spent about nine months talking about the locomotives and looking at them when we visited Stadler in Valencia. They're our babies."

Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, said he looked forward to seeing the locomotives decarbonising the rail network.

He said: "With robust protections for fair network access and ambitious growth targets a part of our plans for Great British Railways, we're ensuring the rail freight sector has what it needs to thrive so it can continue removing thousands of HGVs from our roads whilst delivering huge economic benefits across the country."

The new locomotives had hybrid power, faster acceleration, reduced downtime, and increased productivity.

Pakes added the investment would not only help cut emissions, but also create local jobs and drive economic growth.

"Peterborough is proud to be at the forefront of Britain's rail freight innovation," he said.

"I am proud to see our city playing such a key role in shaping the future of rail freight."

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