The Fuelcell Propulsion Institute (Denver, CO) announced plans to convert a 120-ton diesel locomotive into a fuel-cell-driven train, a project that could one day make fuel cells a reality for subways. The announcement comes after 350,000 subway passengers were trapped for up to three hours on the New York City subways during the largest North American blackout earlier this month. Subway officials from New York, Denver and London are providing guidance for the project, which is funded by the US Army and the National Automotive Center in Michigan.
"Subway systems running on the grid is obviously a precarious proposition," said Arnold Miller, spokesman for the five-year project. "Fuel cell subways would not be dependent on the grid." Miller also reported that another participant in the project, BNSF Railway Co., spends $1 billion a year in diesel costs for its heavy freight rail. Fuel cells could eventually lower that bill by 20%.
