Rail bosses aim to cut emissions on Derbyshire services with 'greener' trains

East Midlands Railway, in partnership with rolling stock company Porterbrook and emissions specialist Eminox, has fitted an emissions exhaust system to the exhaust of one of its new class 170 trains operating on the Derwent Valley Line between Derby and Matlock, via Belper, Whatstandwell and Cromford.

The £600,000 trial uses a special catalyst and filter to partly remove pollution from the exhaust gases, alongside equipment to reduce the amount of oil needed to power the train.

Performance data will be collected from the trial to understand if the technology will be a viable option for wider use in the industry – and the firm said “early indications show emissions are reduced by up to 80 per cent”.

Neil Bamford, EMR fleet director, said the company was delighted to be able to support the trial.

He said: “We are constantly looking for opportunities to reduce our environmental impact and deliver greener, cleaner journeys for our passengers.

“That is why we are excited to support this project and help explore if this innovative technology can have an impact on cutting down pollution.”

And the scheme has been praised by Chris Heaton-Harris, rail minister, who visited to see the trial for himself first hand.

He said: “Harnessing innovations like this will help to make our railways greener and cleaner as we build back better from Covid-19.

“The technology I have seen could transform how we travel in future.”

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