Rail companies are looking for new ways to electrify trains, plans that could see the locomotive completely abandoned.
Trains are low-carbon compared to gas-powered road travel, but still usually run on diesel. Installing overhead cables or electrified rail is difficult, and local grids often struggle with power demands. One British firm is considering solar to avoid the latter problem; another uses 3D modeling to maximize cable construction efficiency.
More innovatively, a Polish start-up is trialling electromagnetic propulsion for wagons, allowing each to be powered individually and reducing the need for mile-long, hard-to-stop freight trains, the BBC reported. A US firm is doing something similar with batteries, hoping to create a service that competes with the dominant American trucking industry.