Northern say changing the way trains are driven can save thousands of litres of diesel a year

Data scientists working with Northern have proven that small tweaks to the way its trains are driven can save thousands of litres of diesel a year.

Partners have developed a model that calculates the optimal train speed and braking patterns for routes on its network across the North of England. The output of the model is then used to coach train drivers on their driving styles to use less fuel whilst keeping the trains on time.

In an early test on a part of its network, the model identified a potential 7% saving in fuel consumption, with the added benefit of an equal reduction in CO2 emissions.

Whilst fuel savings will vary on each and every part of the network, the implications for Northern, whose annual fuel bill is in the region of £50m, are potentially huge.

Now, Northern, which runs services through Ilkeston Railway Station, is now planning to conduct practical tests on six new routes to see what fuel and CO2 emission savings are recorded.

Rob Warnes, strategic development director at Northern, said: “Along with the rest of the UK rail industry, Northern is working towards phasing out diesel-only trains by 2040.

“However, with only 25% of our network electrified, diesel trains remain integral to our operation and, as such, we want to make sure we operate them in the most fuel-efficient way.

“This has been a fascinating, year-long project and it’s great to see the proof on concept realised so that we can now expand trials and build the case for implementation.”

Northern first announced plans to investigate the most fuel-efficient way to drive its fleet of diesel trains in August 2023.

This project has been developed in partnership with Chrome Angel Solutions, auticon, Angel Trains and Smart Rail Services. 

It has been funded by the Northern Innovation Fund as well as the Department for Transport as part of the Local Transport Decarbonisation strand of the Transport Research and Innovation Grants (TRIG) programme, which is delivered by Connected Places Catapult.