The Department of Transport is working with rail freight operator DB Cargo to use the sustainable hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel in one of its locomotives to purportedly cut carbon emissions by up to 90 per cent compared to diesel.
The train, named ‘I’m a climate hero’, is seen as a step in the transition towards the government’s legally binding goal of net zero by 2050.
DB Cargo is the largest rail freight operating company in the country and has been trialling and expanding its use of HVO as a way to reduce carbon emissions in the short term.
This new service using HVO will transport Toyotas built in Derby to continental Europe through the Channel Tunnel and import Toyotas on its return leg.
Rail minister Chris Heaton-Harris said: “We are boosting British business while cutting carbon. This is what building back greener is all about.
“Trains are one of the most eco-friendly ways to transport goods and, through ingenuity and innovation, DB Cargo...