Page 10 - Innovation in energy management: contribution of railways to sustainable mobility

General representation of an intelligent railway electrical network.

OTHER ENERGY VECTORS

Electricity will continue to be the main energy vector of Spanish rail transport. That said,
which other energy vectors will also be used in the future? In view of the different initiatives
launched by the operators and the industry, these vectors would be Hydrogen, LNG and zero
footprint fuels.

Indeed, as indicated above, around 20% of current rail traffic in Spain continues to be
developed with diesel traction, so the introduction of new vectors that decarbonise this
traffic is a process that has already begun.

In the case of Hydrogen, the initiatives launched since 2020 are diverse, with the main
objective the development of a new generation of vehicles with this type of traction. An
example is the European collaborative project FCH2RAIL in which a new hybrid
electric/hydrogen train modality will be developed starting from an EMU 463 belonging to
Renfe.

In fact, the main Spanish manufacturers of rolling stock are already developing
technological projects in this area.

LNG has also been involved in different projects in recent years, highlighting the
transformation of an EMU 2600, also belonging to Renfe, in the RaiLNG project.

Renfe has been running a Fleet Renewal Plan since 2019, with the main objective to reduce
the average age of its railway fleet. Specifically, the Cercanías and Media Distancia services
- which account for more than 80% of the company's public service - count on railway
material that is more than 30 years old, making it essential to act. This rejuvenation of
rolling stock is partly linked to having trains with better characteristics in terms of energy
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Position paper: Innovation in energy management: contribution of railways to sustainable mobility
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