Hydrail between Charlotte and Raleigh

[nakers2]

Not sure if this could belong under another topic, but I just caught wind that North Carolina is looking into pioneering 'Hydrail" service between our two largest cities. This would be a hydrogen powered train that only emits water vapor. It would be cleaner and more efficient that the ancient diesels they use now, and cheaper, and still technically cleaner than electrifying the whole line, which could cost $10-16 million per mile. I heard of this via Charlotte Stories but was able to confirm with some other local news sources. At work currently but I can add links for further verification soon. 

 

[kermit]

Its an interesting story and NC has a pretty good setup for giving it a try (Their own, very used, equipment. Service yards at both ends of the route. A mostly doubletracked route that runs a relatively short distance and push pull train sets).

https://www.statesville.com/news/n-c-plans-shift-to-train-powered-by-hydrogen-fuel/article_f1b01d4c-b077-11e8-9acf-b3af542da3a9.html

Edited February 19, 2019 by kermit

[queensguy06]

Is there that much inter-city business between Raleigh and Charlotte that makes this feasible?  I don't see a lot of use for the pleasure travel side of this as it would almost certainly require renting a car to get around either Raleigh or Charlotte.  And at that point why would you just not drive anyway?

[CLTranspo]

Anecdotally I take the Amtrak for work from Charlotte to Raleigh about once a month, as does my boss and a few others in Raleigh going the opposite way. It’s much more convenient because we’re able to work during the train ride, and it’s usually cheaper than getting a rental car even with an Uber/Lyft for the final part of the trip. Not to mention driving on 85 and 40 can be pretty stressful and unreliable. 

[kermit]

3 hours ago, queensguy06 said:

Is there that much inter-city business between Raleigh and Charlotte that makes this feasible?  I don't see a lot of use for the pleasure travel side of this as it would almost certainly require renting a car to get around either Raleigh or Charlotte.  And at that point why would you just not drive anyway?

Its not new service, they are just going to retrofit one of the Piedmont  locomotives with a hydrogen fueled generator, replacing the normal diesel unit. Its an interesting expiriment that should not be noticed by any of the 700 (ish) daly Amtrak riders between CLT and RGH. While that may not seem like many riders, one of the daily trains (the Carolinian) is close to generating a net profit, reducing fuel costs is likely to tip the economics of rail travel into the black on many corridor routes.

As an aside, significantly improved transit (brt and commuter rail) is comming to Raleigh, LRT will serve the Durham station in a few years, and stations in Gboro, High Point, Salisbury, Kannapolis, Cary and Burlington are walkable to ‘downtown’ things (and that supply of downtown things is growing quickly — both Kannapolis and High Point are getting new downtown ballparks). I regularly ride to Durham to visit my parents. Probably 30% of ridership goes to college at their destinations.

Edited February 19, 2019 by kermit

[Tyrone Wiggum]

Hail Hydrail!

[JacksonH]

3 hours ago, CLTranspo said:

Anecdotally I take the Amtrak for work from Charlotte to Raleigh about once a month, as does my boss and a few others in Raleigh going the opposite way. It’s much more convenient because we’re able to work during the train ride, and it’s usually cheaper than getting a rental car even with an Uber/Lyft for the final part of the trip. Not to mention driving on 85 and 40 can be pretty stressful and unreliable. 

Exactly.  I live in San Diego and occasionally go up to L.A. to visit friends.  I've driven and I've also taken Amtrak.  I much prefer Amtrak where I can just relax, and look out the window at all the cars we're passing, stuck in traffic on the freeway.

3 hours ago, queensguy06 said:

 I don't see a lot of use for the pleasure travel side of this as it would almost certainly require renting a car to get around either Raleigh or Charlotte.  And at that point why would you just not drive anyway?

https://www.charlotteagenda.com/118373/everything-need-know-riding-amtrak-train-charlotte-raleigh-beyond/

[uptownliving]

So to summarize, this is clickbait copyright violation of a pr piece that the Statesville Record did almost 6 months ago. I haven't seen any hard news that NCDOT has actually committed to do anything. At this point they are reporting that NCDOT plans to meet with the federal government to discuss the concept of hydrail. Anyone know if anything has actually happened?

[Tyrone Wiggum]

16 minutes ago, uptownliving said:

So to summarize, this is clickbait copyright violation of a pr piece 

 

 

[Stan Thompson]

Re NC’s hydrail beginning, this has been underway since about 2003.  Search: “mooresville hydrail initiative”

 

While it is unique in the USA, Germany, China, the UK and most recently France are moving rapidly to supplant diesel and stem further investment in 19th century overhead electrification.

Re my involvement, search:  hydrail AND stan