| Title | Amtrak fuel consumption study |
|---|---|
| Record ID | 48114 |
| Personal Name Creator |
Hitz, John |
| Source | 77p. in various pagings |
| Corporate Creator | John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.) |
| Corporate Contributor |
United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration. Office of Research and Development |
| Publisher | United States. Federal Railroad Administration. Office of Research and Development |
| Publication Date | 19810228 |
| Language | English |
| Abstract | This report documents a study of fuel consumption on National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) trains and is part of an effort to determine effective ways of conserving fuel on the Amtrak system. The study was performed by the Transportation Systems Center (TSC) under the sponsorship of the Federal Railroad Administration and in cooperation with Amtrak. A series of 26 test runs were conducted on Amtrak trains operating between Boston, Massachusetts, and New Haven, Connecticut, to measure fuel consumption, trip time and other fuel-use-related parameters. The test data were analyzed and compared with results of the TSC Train Performance Simulator replicating the same operations. Results of the tests showed that the average fuel consumption for the 157.7 mile trip was 368 gallons and that the average fuel use efficiency was 277 ton-miles per gallon. Fuel consumption and fuel use efficiency were found to increase consistently with increasing train tonnage. One locomotive was also found to consume about 12 percent more fuel than the other locomotive tested. The fuel consumption and trip time results for individual runs varied between +8.0 to -9.5 and +5.4 and -10.7 percent, respectively, of the Train Performance Simulator results. However, when averaged over the ten test runs analyzed, the fuel consumption and trip time results were within 1.04 and 0.03 percent, respectively, of the simulator. Throttle notch settings and train speed profiles also agreed well with simulated results. |
| Rosap ID | dot:10060 |
| Rosap URL | https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/10060 |
| TRT Terms | Fuel consumption; Data collection; Diesel engines; Diesel fuels; Railroad transportation; Railroad rails; Passenger trains; Passenger transportation; Load factor; Train operations; Travel time; Velocity |
| General Subjects | Energy conservation; Railroad energy use; Amtrak; Locomotive fuel use |
| Classification | AGR - PASSENGERS - Amtrak; NTL - RAIL TRANSPORTATION - RAIL TRANSPORTATION; NTL - RAIL TRANSPORTATION - Rail Energy and Environment; NTL - ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT - Rail Energy and Environment |
| Geographical Coverage |
Boston (Massachusetts); Connecticut |
| TRIS Online Accession No |
343669 |
| Contract Number | RR132 R1313 |
| Report Number | DOT-TSC-FRA-81-6; FRA/ORD-81/42 |
| Availability | Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference Center |
| Resource type | Tech Report |
| URL | https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/48000/48100/48114/DOT-TSC-FRA-81-06.pdf |
| Format | |
| Database | NTL Digital Repository |