By Railfan & Railroad Staff

CPKC and ATCO EnPower announced last week that they had completed the construction of two new hydrogen fueling facilities in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta. The facilities will support the railroad’s growing fleet of hydrogen-powered locomotives that are now being tested and deployed in western Canada. 

“These fuelling facilities are an important part of advancing the ongoing testing of our hydrogen locomotives and advancing the development of our industry-leading program working toward a lower carbon transportation future,” said Kyle Mulligan, CPKC Assistant Vice President, Operations Technology. 

ATCO EnPower provided engineering, procurement and construction services for each of the dedicated, on-site hydrogen locomotive refueling stations and has signed an agreement to operate these facilities. Each of the facilities includes a 1-megawatt electrolyzer, compression, storage, and dispensing systems for locomotive refueling. In Calgary, the electrolyzer is powered in part by renewable electricity from CPKC’s existing 5 MW solar power facility co-located at CPKC’s headquarters.

The two new facilities will serve as a model for future and complementary projects across the country. By harnessing the power of hydrogen, CPKC aims to create a cleaner, more efficient mode of freight transportation that can serve as a model for the rail industry with support from ATCO EnPower. 

Earlier this year, CPKC began testing its most powerful hydrogen unit on coal trains in southeastern British Columbia. Additional units have been deployed in local service around Calgary.