A train that runs on cooking oil? ACE goes green for service expanding to Stanislaus
Renewable diesel now powers the passenger trains that run on weekdays between Stockton and San Jose.
The Altamont Corridor Express expects to cut climate-harming emissions by 99% by switching from traditional diesel. The new fuel is refined from used cooking oil and other sources at Valley Pacific Petroleum Services in Stockton.
ACE is the first passenger line in Northern California to use this fuel. It is being tested for use by Amtrak and freight railroads serving the region.
ACE mainly serves commuters to Silicon Valley with four westbound morning trains and four return trips in the late afternoon and evening.
The service is funded to expand to Stanislaus and Sacramento counties by late 2024. It could reach Turlock by 2027 and Merced by 2029 if the remaining funding comes together. ACE aims to have frequent, all-day connections to the state’s first high-speed rail segment, scheduled to open in 2030 between Merced and Bakersfield.
The renewable fuel was announced in a news release Tuesday from the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, which oversees ACE.
“Our commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions has taken a large step forward,” said Brian Schmidt, director of equipment services.
Little cost to switch
The fuel needed testing to ensure it would not damage the locomotives, but it otherwise brings no additional cost, Executive Director Stacey Mortensen said. She provided an update on the south branch at Wednesday night’s meeting of the Stanislaus Council of Governments.
Diesel from petroleum is a major emitter of the carbon dioxide involved in climate change. The renewable version can be made from used cooking oil and animal fats, or from newly pressed oil from corn, soybeans and other crops.
Valley Pacific will supply about 51,000 gallons of 100% renewable diesel each month for ACE’s current service. The company also sells the alternative fuel to truckers and other users and sells blends of renewable and petroleum-based diesel.
“Our customers have found that, compared to petroleum-based diesel, renewable diesel works better in their engines, produces less ash, and they’re happy it improves air quality and lowers their carbon footprint,” President and CEO Nathan Crum said in the release.
Amtrak is testing it, too
Mortensen also oversees the Amtrak San Joaquins service, which has five daily round trips between Bakersfield and Oakland and a sixth to Sacramento. She said it does not yet have a timeline for renewable diesel, which is being tested by the Amtrak Capitol Corridor between Sacramento and San Jose.
All of the passenger trains run on freight tracks owned by the Union Pacific Railroad or the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. Both are testing renewable diesel in Southern California to see if it makes sense for freight locomotives elsewhere.
Another climate-safe fuel, hydrogen, is the choice for the Valley Link rail system proposed between Lathrop and the Dublin BART station. It would share a station with ACE in north Lathrop and also stop at River Islands, downtown Tracy, Mountain House and two Livermore sites.
ACE north and south
ACE has stations in downtown Stockton, at the Manteca/Lathrop border and in south Tracy, Livermore, Pleasanton, Fremont, Santa Clara and San Jose.
The south branch will add stations within two years in north Lathrop and the downtowns of Manteca, Ripon, Modesto and Ceres. ACE is assembling funding to add a Turlock depot by 2025, either downtown or a mile to the north. Stations in downtown Livingston and Merced will follow.
The north branch will have stations in downtown Stockton, the Lodi and Elk Grove areas, and four Sacramento locations as far north as Natomas.
The main funding is $900.5 million from state fuel taxes. Other sources have provided about $500 million. The effort includes both the ACE extensions and increased Amtrak service between Stockton and Sacramento.
