Hydrogen fuel keeps UP Rail Crossings safe and eco-friendly

Union Pacific is using hydrogen-powered generators as a backup power source.

Union Pacific (UP), a huge railroad franchise in North America that operates more than 83,000 locomotives in 23 states in the western two-thirds of the United States, has been installing hydrogen fuel cell generators as a backup power source at Gulf Coast crossings where natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes commonly occur.

Secure and eco-friendly backup power.

Although most of us don’t give railroad crossing safety equipment, like flashing crossing signals and gate operation, much thought, the fact of the matter is that this equipment requires power to function. When power outages occur, if there is no backup generator to provide power, this equipment doesn’t work, which can have deadly consequences.

While UP does have generators in place, the majority are powered by gasoline. Last year (2023) Union Pacific decided to start reducing the greenhouse gases emitted by traditional generators and began testing units powered by hydrogen fuel cells instead.

According to UP, the gas-powered generators release an estimated 325 pounds of carbon dioxide every 24 hours. Hydrogen-powered generators, on the other hand, emit only water and vapor, resulting in no carbon dioxide emissions.

Hydrogen fuel cells increase generators’ potential operation time.

“Historically, these generators have been gas-powered, but last year we began testing units with hydrogen-powered fuel cells as an alternative,” said John Boone – General Director Signal/Telecom Constr. at Union Pacific.

“Hydrogen is derived by separating H2O into its individual elements – hydrogen and oxygen – via electrolyser technology. This entirely renewable energy supply is one of the only zero-emission fuel sources on the market.”

In addition, aside from being a more environmentally friendly alternative to gasoline, hydrogen fuel cells also reportedly boost the potential run time of the generators between fueling events by 12 days, which is a 2,400% increase over gas models. This extra run time is extremely important when power could be out for long periods, especially in hurricane-prone areas.

67 locations up and running.

Union Pacific began installing the first hydrogen fuel cell generators one year ago, back in February 2023. To date, the company has installed 67 locations. These 67 locations can reduce as much as 150,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emission from the railroad network annually, while also improving safety and security.

“Union Pacific is able to mobilize back-up generators at a moment’s notice to any location on our system where they’re needed,” Boone explained. “Using hydrogen generators will help Union Pacific reach its science-based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 26% by 2030.”

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