Diesel future may be in jeopardy if iron horses run on NG.

摘要

US's largest railway company BNSF Railway, which estimates that it is also the country's second largest single diesel fuel consumer after the US Navy, is experimenting with refitting its diesel locomotives to run on natural gas. The company's boss Matt Rose calls the endeavor a "transformational event," suggesting that the development will be no less significant than the industry's transition to diesel from steam power. The project faces many challenges. Regulative decisions will have to be made regarding fuel tank safety, as the trains will run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), which must be stored at high pressure. Fuel infrastructure will have to be worked out, though this will be less problematic for rail than for trucks and automobiles, and possibly simplified by preliminary findings that, according to Rose, LNG trains will possess greater range than current diesel models. In addition, the price tag is substantial; refitting a diesel locomotive (of which the company owns 6.9K) will cost approximately $1MM on top of the engine's original $2MM price tag. Rose figures the cost will be worthwhile, though; diesel fuel prices averaged $3.97/gal for 2012, while the equivalent in natural gas sold to industrial consumers at 48c/gal—though that figure does not include the cost of converting the gas to LNG.