Arriva Group’s rolling stock goes under carbon emissions scrutiny

Arriva Group has announced a comprehensive review of its entire UK rolling stock fleet as part of its drive towards using alternative fuels and becoming carbon-neutral by 2050.

The operator of CrossCountry, Chiltern Railways and London services has launched the Zero Emission Institute (ZEI), which will share knowledge and expertise across its 14 European businesses.

While the initial focus will be on buses, the ZEI is keen to press ahead with hybrid train technology in the UK and the Netherlands. It will push for the greater use of biofuels, including hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO), biodiesel, and biogas (biomethane).

While replacements are on the way, CrossCountry currently operates Class 43 HST power cars and Class 170, ‘220’ and ‘221’ diesel fleets. Chiltern has Class 165 and ‘168’ diesel multiple units, while Arriva Trains London is already all-electric (Classes 378 and ‘710’).

Anne Hettinga, who manages the group’s activities in the Netherlands, said: “This allows us to consolidate all of our expertise under one virtual roof.”

Partnerships will include green energy companies, academic institutions, technological innovators, engineers, vehicle designers, and manufacturers.

Chiltern Railways put a 100mph battery/diesel train into service earlier this year, while Arriva Netherlands gained 18 new WINK (Wandelbarer Innovativer Nahverkehrs-Kurzzug) trains in April 2021.

These are equipped with batteries that can store the trains’ braking energy. In the long term, their diesel engines (currently powered by HVO) will be replaced by additional batteries.