Amtrak used 1.2mn USG renewable diesel in 2023

US passenger rail service Amtrak used 1.2mn USG of renewable diesel in fiscal year 2023, up from zero the prior year, as the company balances near-term climate targets with goals to increase ridership.

Amtrak started using renewable diesel on its Capitol Corridor, San Joaquin, and Pacific Surfliner intercity passenger lines in California during the fiscal year that ended September 2023. Renewable diesel accounted for about 2pc of the company's diesel use over that period, according to a sustainability report Amtrak released this week.

The rail service's petroleum diesel use rose by about 6pc year-over-year, reflecting increases in ridership as travel recovers from the coronavirus pandemic. Scope 1 emissions, which come from Amtrak's direct operations and which mostly include burning diesel fuel, were up by more than 3pc from fiscal year 2022.

While Amtrak's highly traveled Northeast Corridor is electrified, most of its lines rely on diesel-fueled locomotives. The company plans to replace diesel-powered engines over the long term but says it expects to use renewable diesel as a stopgap solution in the short term and is aiming for the biofuel to become its "main fuel source" for its diesel-powered engines.

While the 2022 sustainability report made passing reference to biodiesel — a separate biofuel that can be blended at smaller volumes with petroleum diesel than renewable diesel — the 2023 report only mentions efforts to scale up use of renewable diesel.

Amtrak has a goal of curbing greenhouse gas emissions by 40pc from a 2010 baseline by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2045. Most renewable diesel in the US is consumed in California, which has a low-carbon fuel standard that incentivizes the use of lower-carbon fuels.

By Cole Martin