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SALT LAKE CITY — Stadler Rail is partnering with Utah State University to engineer battery-powered passenger trains in North America, as a potential zero-emission solution in rail travel.
The Swiss-based company with a U.S. facility in Salt Lake City announced Wednesday that it will work with USU's Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification Research Center to develop and test a battery version of its FLIRT model passenger trains, which primarily run on diesel.
"With little to no electrified routes in the North American public rail transit system, a battery train is a great zero-emission alternative to diesel-powered vehicles," said Stadler U.S. CEO Martin Ritter in a statement.
Stadler currently has contracts for battery-powered trains in Germany; however, that technology has yet to come to the U.S. among its fleet because of different infrastructure and regulations in the country. But the company has signaled interest in moving to alternatives to diesel.
It unveiled a hydrogen-powered version of the commuter rail trains last year that were developed after a deal with the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority in 2019, the magazine Trains reported in September. Those are set to begin service next year, California officials said.
The magazine also reported that Amtrak California ordered four hydrogen train sets with the potential to order up to another 25 train sets, which are expected to be constructed in Salt Lake City and delivered over the next few years.
At the same time, USU's roadway electrification research center has been at the forefront of electrification in Utah since it was founded in 2020. Regan Zane, the center's director, even presented state and local businesses with all the recent updates on its efforts to electrify larger fleets during a summit that the Utah Transit Authority held last year.
The center also received funding from the Utah Legislature to find ways to turn electrification into new jobs and economic development, while also cleaning up Utah's air. The center's work made it an "excellent" partner in Stadler's plan to advance battery-powered trains in North America, Ritter explained.
The team will work to build a two-car single-decker train set powered by batteries, which will be developed and tested in Salt Lake City. No timetable has been set for when the project will be completed but it could end up as a new alternative to UTA's FrontRunner diesel fleet one day.
"We are honored to partner with Stadler on this groundbreaking project," Zane said Wednesday. "Success will bring design and manufacturing jobs to Utah. It will also chart the path to electrified commuter and light rail systems along the Wasatch Front."
