Open-source software aims to get freight decarbonisation on track

New open-source modelling and simulation software will help the rail freight industry assess potential pathways to decarbonisation, according to its developers.

The Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in Texas said the software, the Advanced Locomotive Technology and Rail Infrastructure Optimisation System (Altrios), can simulate the real-world impacts and expenses related to adopting alternative energy locomotive technologies and expanding associated infrastructure.

Now publicly available for download, Altrios supports several simulation modes to provide rail industry stakeholders with optimal strategies for implementing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reduction technologies and making necessary infrastructure changes.

“Altrios combines locomotive and energy storage technology modelling with a robust suite of train dispatch and corridor simulations, alongside a high-level train scheduling and routing tool,” SwRI said. It uses a physics-based simulation of individual trains and real-world rail infrastructure to evaluate the effectiveness of different decarbonisation technologies – including hydrogen, biofuels and batteries, among many others – across the US over the course of decades.

The US transportation sector accounts for a third of the country’s GHG emissions. The federal government earlier this year announced a plan for decarbonising the transportation sector by 2050.

“The Class-I North American railroads have already committed to reducing their GHG emissions by setting science-based carbon reduction targets,” said Garrett Anderson, a lead engineer in SwRI’s Powertrain Engineering Division. “Railroads are using fuel efficiency, renewable fuels and alternate propulsion approaches to achieve the goal. Altrios can cost-effectively assess locomotive decarbonisation approaches using computer modelling to help them choose the right technologies for their needs.”

Altrios was funded by the US Department of Energy. SwRI helped develop the software with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign RailTec, and BNSF Railway.

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