East Midlands Trains, part of the Stagecoach Group, has announced the results of a successful fuel technology trial designed to reduce fuel consumption, slash carbon emissions and run even greener trains.

Working in partnership with International Fuel Technology, Inc. (IFT), the trial of the innovative DiesoLIFT™ 10 fuel additive has demonstrated a 4.4% improvement in fuel economy, estimated to save nearly 350,000 litres of fuel per year.  The reduction in carbon emissions this will produce is the same as taking 350 cars off the road.

The trial, the first of its kind within the UK rail industry, involves a total of 89 vehicles comprising Class 153, Class 156 and Class 158 trains, which are used to operate services on East Midlands Trains local routes. 

The DiesoLIFT™ 10 additive is being automatically mixed in with the diesel used to re-fuel trains at Nottingham maintenance depot, where almost three quarters of the trains used to operate East Midlands Trains local services are fuelled overnight.  The liquid additive, which is completely bio-degradable, is splash blended with the fuel using technology provided by IFT.

Matt Browne, Head of Environment for East Midlands Trains, said:  “We are extremely pleased to be the first train operator taking part in this in-service field trial with IFT.  The results are already demonstrating that by using the fuel additive DiesoLIFT™ 10, we are improving our fuel-efficiency and cutting our carbon emissions.  Trains are already one of the most environmentally friendly forms of transport, and use of DiesoLiFTTM 10 is helping us to make our trains even greener.”

Gary Kirk, IFT’s Director of Sales and Marketing, added: “The fuel economy improvement realized by East Midlands Trains in the recently completed in-service field demonstration is consistent with fuel economy improvements we have achieved in numerous rail engine demonstrations. Use of DiesoLiFTTM 10 will reduce fuel consumption and harmful emissions. We are excited to continue our relationship with a company committed to cost effective green technologies.”

The DiesoLIFT™ 10 trial, which has been running since August 2009, will continue until November 2010.  East Midlands Trains will then look to roll out the product to the rest of its fleet, including HSTs and Meridians operating on the London services.

This initiative is part of Stagecoach Group’s carbon reduction plan, which is targeting a 3% reduction in fleet emissions and an 8% cut in carbon emissions from buildings.  Stagecoach Group has also successfully reduced CO2 emissions from its bus fleet in the UK by more than 100,000 tonnes over the past five years through other emission reduction initiatives. The saving equates to the average CO2 emissions produced by more than 10,000 households in the UK over a 12-month period, according to official Government statistics. The emission reduction initiatives are also being used in Stagecoach’s Coach Canada operations, which cover Quebec and Ontario.