Network Rail has announced plans to showcase some of Britain’s low-carbon rail fleet at the COP26 conference in Glasgow later this year.
Announcing plans to work with one of the major UK rolling stock owner and asset managers, the collaboration will bring a hydrogen-powered HydroFLEX train which has been converted to include an ‘onboard boardroom’ to the event.
It will give guests at the UN Climate Change Conference to use the train to support globally significant discussions.
It is envisaged that the HydroFLEX may also be used to transport visitors to see the Zero Emission Train, Scotland’s first hydrogen powered train.
Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris, said: “As a previous winner of DfT funding through our First of a Kind competition, it is amazing to see the HydroFLEX train showcased on an international stage.
“Ground-breaking green technology projects like HydroFLEX are central to our plan to decarbonise the rail network by 2050.”
Network Rail’s Group Safety and Engineering Director, Martin Frobisher OBE, added: “I’m delighted to announce we are hosting this exciting train at COP26.
“Rail is already the greenest form of public transport and we want to show our commitment to running an even cleaner, greener railway and playing a vital role in helping tackle climate change.”
Additional discussions are also in the works with Network Rail and rolling stock partners to potentially bring an operational battery train to COP26 as well.
Network Rail became the first railway company in the world last year to commit to strict, science-based targets for reducing carbon.
The introduction of trains powered by alternative fuels, including further overhead line electrification and the introduction of hydrogen and battery trains, have been outlined as key parts of the organisation’s strategy to achieve its targets.
