Hybrid Trains: Welcome Aboard!

The long-awaited environmentally-friendly train has hit the railroad in Japan. The two-car Kiha E200 currently circulates on a mountain area line which is about 80 km long. The distance is rather short, yet officials believe that it’s the beginning of a long journey.

Although trains are not the prime contributors to air pollution and global warming process, as “a part of efforts to be green” as Yasuaki Kikuchi, a spokesman for East Japan Railway Company, has defined it, introduction of a hybrid train is another step in the right direction. It is due to the success of electric and hybrid cars that interest in hybrid trains grows. American and German railway companies are also working on implementing the green technology.

The train works similar to its predecessors – Toyota hybrid cars. It has 4 electric motors (2 under each car) and a diesel engine which kicks in when the train is climbing a hill or when batteries are getting low. Lithium ion batteries are located on the roof and get recharged from braking. The train looks just like normal ones, but runs more quietly – another resemblance to electric and hybrid cars. Emission reduction provided by this technology is about 60%, fuel consumption is cut by 20%.

Cost is the weak point though. Kiha E200 runs about $1.7 million – twice as much as a normal train. It is necessary to gather data on fuel consumption in correlation with various passenger loads and different climate conditions. The company engineer said that to be really effective, this technology has to become more widespread. Hopefully, hybrid train cars will pass all tests and come into mass production.