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SNCF Info
SNCF Voyageurs calls on Bolloré Energy to supply the hybrid Régiolis train with biofuel
In France’s Grand Est region, the SNCF Voyageurs & Grand Est teams have been testing the Régiolis hybrid train on the Strasbourg-Sarreguemines line.
As part of the trial, on 18 September, the Bolloré Energy teams successfully delivered a 15,000-litre container tank to Strasbourg railway station. The low-carbon liquid fuel, B100 (Koolza100), produced from rapeseed oil harvested and processed in France, aims to reduce GHG emissions by at least 60%.
What makes this contract between Bolloré Energy and SNCF Voyageurs so unique is the system developed for supplying the site with a tailor-made service: delivery, storage and supply. The planned refuelling site was inaccessible by tanker, so both companies had to find an alternative way to deliver the B100. Loading the container tank onto a flat wagon meant that refuelling with B100 could take place as close as possible to the hybrid train.
About the hybrid regional train
This regional dual-mode hybrid train (electric or diesel+batteries) is the first train hybridisation project in France. The project was launched in 2018 by the SNCF Group and Alstom, with the commitment and financial participation of the Grand Est, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie and Centre-Val-de-Loire regions. The trial aims to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, using a solution capable of modifying the existing diesel-powered fleet without requiring any work on the infrastructure.
The “zero emission” mode using battery power, which is also undergoing testing, means the train can run for several kilometres without using its internal combustion engines, a feature that offers particular benefits for journeys in urban areas.
The hybrid configuration of this now tri-mode train retains the Régiolis’s range when running on non-electrified tracks. This is an asset on regional networks which still have a large number of non-electrified lines, sometimes over long distances.
Hybridisation thus makes regional rail transport more environmentally friendly and is compatible with trains that are already in circulation, with no need to replace them or modify the rail network.
What makes this contract between Bolloré Energy and SNCF Voyageurs so unique is the system developed for supplying the site with a tailor-made service: delivery, storage and supply. The planned refuelling site was inaccessible by tanker, so both companies had to find an alternative way to deliver the B100. Loading the container tank onto a flat wagon meant that refuelling with B100 could take place as close as possible to the hybrid train.
About the hybrid regional train
This regional dual-mode hybrid train (electric or diesel+batteries) is the first train hybridisation project in France. The project was launched in 2018 by the SNCF Group and Alstom, with the commitment and financial participation of the Grand Est, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie and Centre-Val-de-Loire regions. The trial aims to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, using a solution capable of modifying the existing diesel-powered fleet without requiring any work on the infrastructure.
The “zero emission” mode using battery power, which is also undergoing testing, means the train can run for several kilometres without using its internal combustion engines, a feature that offers particular benefits for journeys in urban areas.
The hybrid configuration of this now tri-mode train retains the Régiolis’s range when running on non-electrified tracks. This is an asset on regional networks which still have a large number of non-electrified lines, sometimes over long distances.
Hybridisation thus makes regional rail transport more environmentally friendly and is compatible with trains that are already in circulation, with no need to replace them or modify the rail network.
www.sncf-voyageurs.com
