Tilo Franz, Australia and New Zealand executive regional director of DB Engineering & Consulting, a German rail engineering consultancy, was at the Future is Rail conference in Wellington last week.

He says that, because of New Zealand’s high proportion of renewable energy (about 82% of electricity and 40% of primary energy), the country is well-placed to decarbonise the transport system.

“New Zealand has the opportunity to use rail infrastructure as an enabler to achieve a carbon neutral footprint very soon and ahead of others.”

According to the Ministry for the Environment, the transport sector produces about 17% of New Zealand’s gross greenhouse gas emissions and is the fastest growing source, with domestic transport emissions increasing by 90% between 1990 and 2018.

Investment in rail is key, Franz says. “It will require further investment in rail infrastructure and to electrify most, if not all of it, to provide mobility for New Zealanders on long distances as well as for urban trips.”

After last year’s Inquiry into Inter-regional Passenger Rail, the government allocated $369.2 million in Budget 2023 “to restore a resilient and reliable national rail service.” This was welcomed by rail supporters, but is less than the $600 million the government allocated to support the aviation sector during the COVID pandemic, and much less than the billions spent on roading every year.

Franz says it is important to remember that rail is the most energy efficient form of land transport. “Given the full electrification of rail, it will open the opportunity for New Zealand to become a forerunner in that space, which would in turn attract industry and technology providers to join you on the journey.”

Replacing fossil energy as a primary energy source is crucial, Franz says. “Hence there is no alternative to the electrification of rail transportation.”

Above: Tilo Franz speaking at the Australasian Railway Association's national conference in Brisbane.

DB is continuously working to expand the electrification of its German network, with more than 60% already electrified. “By doing that DB has implemented plenty of new technologies and methodologies which we would be happy to share with the market in New Zealand, which promises plenty of potential in that regard.”

The company has an Australian branch, recently working on a study in Queensland to implement decentralised renewable energy generation and energy storage systems into the region’s traction power grid.

Franz is hoping there will be scope to set up a branch in New Zealand in the future. “As soon as local project volume will justify a local set-up, we will establish a permanent presence in the country and will provide our services locally with the backup of our headquarters support.”

The company has worked on multiple decarbonisation projects. German initiatives include DB Cargo's hybrid shunter locomotive fleet, battery-electric multiple unit fleets and recharging infrastructure, and developing and trialling a railway hydrogen eco system consisting of a H2 passenger train, high-performance H2 production and re-fuelling infrastructure, and a H2-ready maintenance facility.

DB has begun testing hydrogen and fuel cell powered extravehicular mobility units (EMUs) in Europe, which are intended to run on branch lines where full electrification of the infrastructure might not be economically viable.

The company has also developed and trialled H2 passenger trains for operation in California, and done feasibility and traction power studies to replace diesel locomotives with battery-electric for heavy-duty iron ore operations in Brazil.