Fuel cells combine hydrogen with oxygen in the atmosphere to produce water and electricity, eliminating local pollution. But as things stand, electrolytic production and delivery of H_2 as a fuel would consume around four times more power than the fuel cells would actually produce on a train. In comparison, the overall efficiency of electric traction from power station to the transformer output terminals on a train is about 80%. Despite this formidable hurdle, over the last year there have been several articles in the international press about the possible use of fuel cells on trains. In December 2004, Yomiuri Shimbun reported that Japan's Railway Technical Research Institute plans to run a prototype train powered by a fuel cell by 2010. The US Army is working on a project to rebuild a shunting locomotive powered by fuel cells (p494), although the political emphasis in America is more on reducing dependence upon growing oil imports than halting climate change.
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