AN ELECTRIC TRAIN FOR NEWFOUNDLAND?

National Post journalist Ryan Tumilty, when reporting on Liberal policy debates recently, noted that one resolution members would consider is to “Design and create a trans-canada high-speed rail line that would replace rail networks’ current infrastructure along the transcanada railway.”

I wonder if the Liberals meant a high-speed rail line from Vancouver to St. John’s, or just to Halifax.

Newfoundland and Labrador is one of few provinces that doesn’t have a commercial railway, except for the private Iron Ore Company (QNS&L) railway.

Most commercial traffic enters the island of Newfoundland by sea and then has to travel by road to its final destination; likewise in reverse for goods leaving the island. This has caused increased maintenance costs for the Trans-canada Highway.

According to The Telegram of Wednesday March 17, 2021, Marine Atlantic indicated that there were 87,066 commercial vehicles ferried across the Port aux Basques run in 2020. The Argentia run was closed in 2020. Assuming half these commercial vehicles made it to the St. John’s area, and assuming they were tractor trailers, 43,533 of those vehicles used the TCH.

The average annual cost of operating a tractor trailer for a year is approximately $180,000, including diesel fuel costs — 20,500 gallons of fuel. Per mile the approximate cost is US$1.38, which works out to be about C$1.11 per kilometre. The distance between Port aux Basques and St. John’s by road is 904 km. Hence, the cost of fuel to cross the island is about C$1,000, and another $1,000 to return.

Assuming there are 2.24 kilograms of carbon dioxide produced when one litre of diesel is burned and a tractor trailer consumes 30 litres per 100 km, 608 kg of carbon dioxide will be produced per tractor trailer per trip across the island.

For 43,533 vehicles crossing the island one way, about 97 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide will be produced, and another 97 metric tonnes on the return journey.

Per trip across the island, a tractor trailer will consume 30 times 904 km divided by 100 litres, or 271 litres of diesel. Assume one litre of diesel is equivalent to 10 kilowatt hours. Per trip across the island a tractor trailer will use 10 times 271 or 2,710 kwh total energy.

Then, because it takes 10 hours to cross the island, the tractor trailer needs 271 kw energy per hour. Taking an average of 119 tractor trailers crossing the island per day one way (43,533/365), the energy requirement for these vehicles per hour is 32.2 megawatts; another 32.2 MW for the return journey.

A typical AC all-electric locomotive draws 5.6 MW (7,500 horsepower) and can haul about 50 cars. Six AC locomotives, consuming 33.6 MW of power while in operation, should be able to take all of the tractor trailer traffic from Port aux Basques to St. John’s. Can this power be supplied by Muskrat Falls?

Muskrat Falls can supply a maximum of 824 MW power. Upper Churchill can provide 150 MW power for this province’s use. Thus, there will be available, when Muskrat Falls is fully operating, a total of 974 MW. A maximum of 500 MW is available to Nova Scotia, if it wants more than the 165 MW under contract, while 474 MW has to be reserved to replace the Holyrood plant. If Nova Scotia does not need all of the 500 MW power, this province could reserve, say, 100 MW for an electric railway.

A superficial analysis indicates that an electric railway for goods and passengers is doable. This could prevent about 194 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year.

Further analysis is needed to assess the cost of building a standard-gauge railway including electric lines, buying locomotives and railcars, staffing, and the savings of minimizing heavy road traffic. Ian Mcmaster St. John’s