Ryan Murphy-Snow
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Ryan Murphy-Snow is an undergraduate student studying Nuclear engineering at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa Ontario Canada and has finished three years of study. He has worked two summer undergraduate student research terms at the university with his research topics focusing on life cycle analysis.
Rail transportation is a popular means of transporting freight across continents, and commuters between communities. In both cases, rail is relatively efficient and reliable, but there are weaknesses that if addressed, could... [ view full abstract ]
Rail transportation is a popular means of transporting freight across continents, and commuters between communities. In both cases, rail is relatively efficient and reliable, but there are weaknesses that if addressed, could reduce the negative impact of transportation on the environment, and improve the passenger experience; perhaps in turn increasing ridership and consequently reducing overall negative impacts on the environment.
This study examines the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) and selected criteria air pollutant (CAP) emissions of various transportation fuels that could be used for transporting freight across Canada, and for moving daily commuters between Toronto and neighbouring communities. The objective is to explore whether or not it would be attractive to replace conventional diesel fueled locomotives with locomotives running on electricity or liquefied natural gas (LNG). In addition, for the commuter trains, the potential to improve resiliency in emergency situations was considered: Namely, the ability to help commuters reach their destinations in an emergency situation, such as a widespread grid failure.
Preliminary results suggest that when moving freight across Canada, electricity generally offers the lowest GHG and CAP emissions, with some exceptions. For example, using electricity to travel eastward through British Columbia could reduce GHG emissions by about 95% compared to using diesel. However, using electricity to travel eastward through Nova Scotia would result in emissions about 7% greater than if LNG were used (though still about a 19% reduction compared to diesel). These results are expected given that many Canadian provinces have a relatively low GHG emission intensity electricity grid, compared to those provinces more reliant on fossil fuels. However, it is expected that switching all trains and rails to electric systems would be expensive, financially, and would leave the trains vulnerable in the event of large loss-of-power scenarios. As such, hybrid locomotives, those able to use more than one type of fuel, may be promising options for mitigating negative environmental impacts and improving resiliency, while reducing the financial barrier. For freight this could mean choosing fuels by jurisdiction, based on life cycle environmental impact or financial cost. For commuter trains, this could mean electrifying, but retaining a diesel- or LNG-backup system to keep people moving in the event of a power outage. To better assess these options, the next steps in this research will include more thorough analyses of financial costs. Ultimately, building flexibility into the rail transportation system may be the best way to enhance its sustainability.
This R&D Project was supported by a grant from Transport Canada’s Clean Rail Academic Grant Program. The authors also thank the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada for funding.
• Sustainable energy systems , • Infrastructure systems, the built environment, and smart and connected infrastructure
