České dráhy (ČD) has launched trial operation on two lines with three HVO-powered RegioFox trains after laboratory tests and tests carried out at the VUZ Test Center in Velim.
The testing period will be at least half a year and fuel with an optimal 20% share of biocomponent will be used. The fuel will be supplied by ČEPRO, which is the supplier of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel for Czech Railways trains based on a public tender from 2023 to 2026.
The main partner of the project is the ORLEN Unipetrol Group with its subsidiary ORLEN Unipetrol Research and Training Centre, which deals with research and supplies of biofuel. The project also involves the Railway Research Institute (VUZ), the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Czech Technical University and Pesa.
The project to test a bio-based fuel based on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) started in 2024 and will be implemented this year to verify the applicability of this biodiesel oil in passenger diesel multiple units and its subsequent deployment in normal operation. The process is divided into three phases. During the first phase, suitable fuel blends were identified, their certification was carried out, and the legislative level of using sustainable fuels with a higher proportion of bio-component was also analysed. ORLEN Unipetrol assessed the possibility of application for decarbonisation of rail transport, and prepared diesel fuel with 15% and 30% of HVO content and at the same time pure 100% HVO.
In the second, current, phase of the project, the prepared mixtures were tested in Pesa RegioFox 847 Class diesel multiple units at the Railway Research Institute Test Circuit from 19 August to 23 August. This is because the Rolls-Royce engines of these units are homologated for the use of biofuels, such as blends of diesel and HVO.
In the second phase, the prepared mixtures were tested in Pesa RegioFox 847 Class DMUs at the Railway Research Institute Test in August 2024. The Rolls-Royce engines of these units are homologated for the use of biofuels, such as a mixture of diesel fuel and HVO. The tests compared the parameters of train performance, fuel consumption and measured emissions for pure diesel fuel, a mixture of diesel fuel and bio-component with a proportion of 15% or 30%, and when operating on 100% biofuel.
“Two-thirds of Czech and Moravian lines are still without electrification and the current massive renewal of motor units equipped with modern Rolls-Royce engines capable of using fuel with a high proportion of biocomponents opens up the space for us to test in practice and in the future use sustainable fuel produced by processing waste fats and vegetable oils with lower emissions, especially carbon dioxide,” the Deputy Director General for Passenger Transport at ČD, Jiří Ješeta, said
Based on the evaluation of the measurements, the third and final part of the project has now been started, when the best evaluated fuel mixture will be tested in real-life operating conditions on the Rakovník – Beroun and Beroun – Rudná u Prahy – Prague lines and compared with operation on pure diesel fuel. The tests will be carried out with the equipped HVO-powered RegioFox trains at the regional maintenance centre in Rakovník.
“Improving our environment, in which we move around every day, is one of the goals of our government.(…) Railways is the leader in our country, and the same applies to the search for a sustainable fuel for diesel engines, which is intended to reduce diesel consumption, energy intensity, and also ensure a decrease in emissions and contribute to a better environment. I therefore see the testing of fuel using hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) at Czech Railways is a part of our joint efforts for a higher quality of life in the Czech Republic,” the Minister of Transport of the Czech Republic, Martin Kupka, said.
In addition to Czech Railways, the ČVUT Centre for Sustainable Mobility Vehicles, the Railway Research Institute and the Pesa are also participating in the entire project. In the first and second phases of the project, ORLEN Unipetrol and its research and education centre also participated while the last phase will be joined by the customers of the connections are the Central Bohemian Region and the capital city of Prague, as well as ČEPRO.
“Testing HVO fuel in normal operation is an important step to verify its properties and impact on CO2 emissions from the operation of trains with internal combustion engines. The Central Bohemian Region clearly supports the transformation of public transport towards zero emissions and long-term ecological and economic sustainability,” the the Central Bohemian Region Councilor for Public Transport and Mobility, Petr Borecký, said.
The project is part of the national clean mobility plan and of ČD’s long term strategy to reduce emissions and use of renewable resources in accordance with the RED III Directive of the European Union, which increased the greenhouse gas savings target from 6% to 14.5% in 2030 compared to 2019.
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