Japan’s transport ministry plans to institute a policy to cut carbon dioxide emissions from trains by switching over from diesel oil to biofuels for their operation, as early as fiscal 2025 which starts next April.
At a meeting of railway business officials on Thursday, the ministry explained its policy to switch in phases from diesel oil to biofuels made from euglena and consumed cooking oils.
Major Japanese operators have been developing trains using hydrogen fuel cells. But they have been challenged by the high costs and long time needed for commercial usage.
Compared with hydrogen fuel cells, biofuels can be used straightaway in all existing trains without major equipment modifications.
Since September, the government has already been conducting a test-run of a commercial train using biofuels on West Japan Railway’s Gantoku Line in Yamaguchi Prefecture.
The ministry plans to share the results of the test with the railway companies. It also aims to study ways to simplify procedures for the train operators to introduce biofuels.
The ministry says high prices of biofuels and securing their stable supply are issues that need to be resolved before such fuels can be used widely in trains.
The ministry says it wants to address such challenges through discussions with the railway operators.