UK Transportation: Vegetable Oil Fuels Chiltern Railways Trains

Passenger trains are being fuelled by vegetable oil for the first time in the UK, a train operator has said.

Chiltern Railways began using hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) to power some of its fleet on Thursday.

HVO is made mostly of used cooking oils and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90%, compared to diesel.

Richard Allan, managing director, said the operator was determined to operate a railway that was “easier, greener and better” for its customers.

The train operator, which runs services between Birmingham and London, is using the biofuel, which is more expensive than diesel, to power its Class 68 locomotives as part of efforts to decarbonise its operations.

Mr Allan said the conversion in fuel would make a “big difference” and would help to minimise the impact of trains on the environment.