Your MBTA Commuter Rail train may now run on vegetable oil
Some MBTA Commuter Rail trains will run on a form of vegetable oil fuel through a new pilot program testing alternative power sources that could reduce the transit system's environmental impact.
Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil, or HVO, emits less carbon than the typical diesel fuel that powers commuter rail trains, making it a more sustainable and earth-friendly alternative, Keolis, the company that operates the commuter rail for the MBTA, said in a statement announcing the pilot.
The program could push the state closer to meeting its goal of having net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Carbon emissions for trains using vegetable oil-based fuel are 70% lower than trains running on traditional fossil fuels, according to Abdellah Chajai, the CEO and General Manager of Keolis.
'Getting people out of their cars and onto the train is a great first step, and we need to do more if we are going to reach the commonwealth's emissions goals,' Chajai said.
The pilot program, developed in partnership between Keolis and MBTA, uses the new alternative fuel for all trains that lay over at the Newburyport Commuter Rail facility, Keolis said.
The company has so far measured 'steady' performance from trains using the renewable fuel source. When the pilot program concludes, the T and Keolis will determine if the vegetable oil-based fuel can be expanded to other parts of the commuter rail system.
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