Bombardier Sends Hybrid Trains to France

Bombardier, the Montreal based company who invented the Ski-Doo is receiving orders for their new hybrid train from SNCF of the French government train system. They have already ordered 144 units to replace their older fleet of diesel running locomotives.

The hybrid electric train runs on diesel fuel that charges batteries that run the electric motor. This is no different from the old trains except that the engine can be turned off so that the train can take advantage of other power sources, like a wire-power system. Since electric train lines are more expensive to build, France has many tracks that are still just tracks. So to now have a train that can be versatile for use on the main and rural routes is a great advantage to SNCF. The hybrid train is more eco-friendly as it is said to be 20% more efficient that the older diesel trains currently in use.

Diesel trains are the most commonly used trains in North America. They are big, inefficient, and quite frankly, outdated. But with thousands of miles of tracks without power lines, diesel is the only option for us. If North American adopted a more European train philosophy of public transportation, perhaps then we will have less road pollution and stressed out daily commuters.

Source: EcoGeek.org

Tags: bombardier hybrid train, france hybrid train

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