Florida Trains Run on Pure Biodiesel

South Florida transport company Tri-Rail will start operating 8 of its 10 locomotives with a 99 percent blend of biodiesel, according to the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority.

For the U.S. company’s trains the switch to biodiesel has been a long process. The company hopes to eventually use biodiesel in all 10 of its locomotives, but for now it has been prevented from doing so by technical restrictions within two of its engines.

The biodiesel trains will consume approximately 7 percent more fuel than those using regular fuel, but at 30 cents (19p) less per gallon than diesel it represents a significant saving in the massive gas guzzling engines.

Thanks to the relatively mild climate of Florida, Tri-Rail is one of the few systems in the country where trains can run on pure bio-fuel.

The Tri-Rail company currently carries over 50 million passengers per year.

Unfortunately the new bio diesel trains require a mild climate to function properly, so until global warming brings Manchester temperatures in line with Miami we are unlikely to see the system working in the UK.