The 2025 edition of Railway Age’s Next-Gen Freight Rail (NGFR) conference offers a presentation focused on rapidly evolving hydrogen-powered locomotive initiatives for main line freight rail applications.
“Hydrogen Power for Main Line Heavy-Haul Freight” features three accomplished presenters: Bob Bremmer, Group Vice President Product Management, Wabtec; and in a joint presentation, Kyle Mulligan, Assistant Vice President – Operations Technology, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), and Corey Davis, Director of Innovation – Alternative Fuels & Energy Management, CSX. They’ll provide an in-depth look at their ground-breaking efforts.
Hydrogen has “enormous potential,” says Wabtec, whose hydrogen public-private partnerships include collaborative research and development agreements with Oak Ridge, Argonne and Sandia National Labs. There is a large installed base of more than 20,000 locomotives that could be retrofitted to burn hydrogen. This option would enable railroads to maximize the investment in their current fleets, while converting the locomotives to a clean-burning energy source. Wabtec is also at work on HFC (hydrogen fuel cell) locomotives and is working with various suppliers to develop fuel cell solutions for locomotive applications.
Kyle Mulligan leads CPKC’s groundbreaking hydrogen locomotive program. Mulligan, who has worked in operations and understands the challenges of running trains in rugged territory in extreme coldr, knows that a battery-powered locomotive won’t work for CPKC, even though some in the industry are exploring that as an option. “In cold weather, battery-powered locomotives have significant challenges,” he says. “And from the perspective of Precision Scheduled Railroading, having battery-powered locomotives that need to charge for 14-plus hours and having to duplicate or even triplicate the number of locomotives we need does not fit our model of optimizing assets.”
Starting with a 35-year-old SD40-2F, Mulligan and his team removed the diesel engine, alternator, cooling system and just about anything else on the frame from the rear of the cab back. Fuel cells were then installed where the diesel engine was once located. The area that was the fuel tank was replaced with batteries used to capture energy from regenerative braking when going downhill, especially in mountainous territory. Mulligan said the batteries also help balance the amount of power that is going to the traction motors; sometimes the traction motors are being powered entirely by the fuel cells, sometimes by the batteries and sometimes it’s a blend of the two. That mix is determined by an onboard power manager. From the perspective of the locomotive operator though, there’s little difference between the hydrogen locomotive and the diesel-electric. In late 2021, the first hydrogen unit, locomotive 1001, moved under its own power for the first time. Less than a year later, it entered revenue service in the Calgary area. Since then, two additional hydrogen locomotives have been built: a four-axle switcher built from a GP38-2 and a six-axle AC high-horsepower unit built from an AC4400CW.
CSX has partnered with CPKC to develop HFC-powered locomotives. CSX recently unveiled its first unit, a “groundbreaking” locomotive, a “pioneering achievement marking a significant milestone in sustainable freight transportation” that “demonstrates the company’s commitment to innovation and environmental stewardship.” GP38H2 No. 2100 was converted from an existing EMD GP40-2 diesel-electric locomotive using a hydrogen conversion kit developed by CPKC. The transformation took place at the CSX locomotive shop in Huntington, W.Va. The conversion team reused several components, including the frame, cab, traction motors and trucks. As such, “converting an existing unit into a next-generation locomotive further extends the useful life of the asset,” CSX says. The railroad has deployed 2100 for field testing to “further evaluate its performance and operational feasibility.” CSX notes that HFC power “presents a promising alternative to fossil fuels, offering greater efficiency and zero emissions. Unlike traditional diesel engines, hydrogen-powered locomotives emit only water vapor, contributing to cleaner air and a cleaner environment.”
The NGFR speaker lineup also includes CSX President and CEO Joe Hinrichs, Railway Age’s 2025 Railroader of the Year; Canadian Pacific Kansas City President and CEO Keith Creel; CSX Head of Innovation Bill Jacobs and Director of Innovation Dave Mauger; Jeffrey Watson, Vice President Engineering, Genesee & Wyoming and Railway Track & Structures 2024 Engineer of the Year; and Christopher P.L. Barkan, Ph.D., Executive Director, RailTEC and The National University Rail Center of Excellence, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The luncheon will honor Railway Age’s 2025 25 Under 40 “Fast Trackers.”
Railway Age’s Next-Generation Freight Rail conference takes place March 11, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Union League Club of Chicago. A unique opportunity to discuss the freight rail industry’s future, the conference brings together top executives and thought leaders to discuss topics ranging from business strategy to the latest technological innovations and increasing safety and reliability. The conference also features a luncheon honoring the 2025 winners of Railway Age‘s Fast Trackers 25 Under 40 awards.
