---
title: "Energy transition: public transport leads the way"
url: "https://www.systra.com/en/expert_insights/energy-transition-public-transport-leads-the-way/"
type: expert_insights
date_published: 2023-07-10
date_modified: 2024-04-04
schema:
  @type: WebPage
language: en-US
word_count: 2041
reading_time: 11 min
canonical: "https://www.systra.com/en/expert_insights/energy-transition-public-transport-leads-the-way/"
featured_image: "https://www.systra.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/header-electric-def.png"
type-insight:
  - Energy transition
---

# Energy transition: public transport leads the way

![Energy transition: public transport leads the way](https://www.systra.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/header-electric-def.png)

**Drawing on years of practice in the planning, design and implementation of public transport projects around the world, SYSTRA engineers are sharing their experience and systems approach in a series of articles on energy transition for mobility, the first of which provided an insight into the global challenge of mobility decarbonisation.**

**In this second article of our series, we take a look at the leading role played by public transport authorities (PTA) through 3 case studies.**

### 󠀁**OUR VISION**󠁿

Energy transition in public transport is the key to the wider decarbonisation of
mobility. It is setting a visible precedent for other modes of transport,
advancing technical solutions and stimulating markets for alternative energy
sources.

From how energy is produced and transported, to physical infrastructure related
to new technology and organisational changes,
**transition requires a systematic approach which encompasses many parameters**.
Lessons that SYSTRA’s engineers have learned over decades, working on diesel to
electricity transitions and designing 50% of the world’s metros in service and
high-speed line projects, are now supporting today’s energy transitions.

Public transport is already a more environmentally responsible way to travel
than by private car, emitting less carbon per passenger per journey. But there
is still much more to be done:
**in Europe, around 50%^(1) of the rail network is electrified, 55%^(2) in Asia and very little in the Americas, Middle East, Australia and Africa; and most of the world’s bus fleets are still running on diesel.**

Of course, there are many situations where electrification by overhead line or
third rail is not a practical or viable solution. In these cases, alternative
fuel technologies such as battery electric vehicles, biogas, hydrogen or hybrid
arrangements can deliver carbon savings and better air quality, either as a
stepping-stone solution or as a longer term one.
**It is a matter of achieving the adequate trade-off between the objectives of PTAs and alternative technology benefits.**

There are many hurdles to clear on the journey through energy transition.
Transport authorities must maintain effective services as they instigate change,
often making phased alterations to working facilities while the technology
required for charging or refuelling is itself being implemented and the rolling
stock gradually renewed.
**PTA must have renewable energy strategies that support wider decarbonisation goals**
, that hedge energy market variation, perhaps finding opportunities to generate
their own energy, like Delhi Metro (DMRC) which has installed over 142 rooftop,
solar panels to supply 4% of its consumption^(3) .

In addition to this raft of challenges, authorities must demonstrate that public
funds are being responsibly spent, now and in the future, and select some
priorities. Again, a systems approach is needed to overcome those challenges, as
illustrated in the 3 following case studies.

^(1)[Diesel traction – UNIFE](https://www.unife.org/activities/environment-and-sustainability/diesel-traction/)

^(2)[Railway electrification is expected to grow worldwide (railwaypro.com)](https://www.railwaypro.com/wp/worldwide-rail-electrification-remains-at-high-volume/)

^(3)[DMRC to Increase Use of Renewable Energy by 50% with Vertical Solar Panels (renergyinfo.com)](https://renergyinfo.com/dmrc-to-increase-use-of-renewable-energy-by-50-through-vertical-solar-panels/)

### CASE STUDY #1: In France, Hydrogen trains integrating the energy supply chain

![hydrogen-train](https://www.systra.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/hydrogen-train-1024x679.jpg)

**In France, Hydrogen trains integrating the energy supply chain**

For any energy transition to be successful, the way that energy is generated,
transported, stored and distributed must be an integral part of the feasibility
and planning phases of a project.
**For a transition to hydrogen, the big challenge today is that the supply chain does not exist.**

Beyond technical issues, our engineers consider a raft of other factors. There
are environmental and economic issues to be weighed up, social and community
impacts, reputational risks, upfront investment and operational costs to
consider, alongside how the logistics of hydrogen supply will interface with and
influence the operations of the service itself.

Our engineers assist PTAs to implement hydrogen solutions and their feedback is
to assess existing nearby hydrogen production projects, together with their
carbon footprints since hydrogen can be created using a variety of processes,
some of them involving fossil fuels. Since green hydrogen made using
electrolysis with ‘clean’ electricity is the ultimate goal, there may be a need
to look at renewable energy strategies or enter into power purchasing agreements
(PPAs) which set up long-term deals for renewable power.
**The optimum location of production plants, the economic and environmental cost of transporting the hydrogen, the selection of refuelling sites will be all considered by our engineers.**

In France’s Occitanie region, a trail-blazing project on the Toulouse –
Montréjeau – Luchon line will see the reopening of the 36km-long section between
Montréjeau and Luchon, closed since 2014. The three hybrid electric-hydrogen
trains are being procured as part of a batch of 12, in conjunction with three
other French regions.
**SYSTRA is advising on the strategy for hydrogen supply, its transport and storage and the selection of a location for the hydrogen fuelling station**
, working with two specialist hydrogen partners.

At SYSTRA, we believe that within complex rail projects, the holistic approach
facilitates decision-making and eventually optimises the total cost of
ownership. This why our specialists in real estate, environmental issues, rail
construction and operation and hydrogen are all feeding into the project,
deploying a detailed upfront risk identification and multi criteria analysis,
developed on other energy transition projects.

Hydrogen may be a good low-carbon option for trains in rural regions or where
line electrification is too expensive for some rolling stock running daily**.**
**Powering trains using low carbon hydrogen rather than diesel can result in huge savings in carbon emissions; it has been calculated between 80 and 95% in operations for this specific case study.**

### CASE STUDY #2: In the US, the phased transition of a multi-energy operational site paired with renewable energy development

![depot-1](https://www.systra.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/depot-1-1024x682.jpg)

**In the US, the phased transition of a multi-energy operational site paired with renewable energy development**

For PTAs and operators,
**phased transitions can sometimes make the most sense when the project is to retrofit an existing depot. **
It brings financial investment stakes to consider in a context of budget
constraints, their limitations on real estate availability in urban areas and
the need to keep providing reliable public transport services while the
transition is underway.
**During the transition phase, several energy technologies are operated on the same depot – existing ones like Diesel and new one(s) – which is an operational challenge**
. There can also be technical reasons why transitions are best taken in steps,
such as limited ranges for battery electric vehicles or the power supply with
constraints from the existing grid.

How can you get around these constraints? From our project experience, we learnt
that AETs should be carefully selected, depending on the bus routes and services
or, where this is not possible, that operational plans should be revised.
Extensive scenario testing should factor in changes to services’ robustness, to
refuelling or charging technology solutions, and to energy supply, with
programming that considers the changing operation of a depot in parallel with
phased construction works. Also training of the operator is one of the key
success factors.

**In the US, SYSTRA supports the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority**
(WMATA)
**which is deploying a phased approach to the transition of its bus fleet** at
the Bladensburg Bus Garage. We are the engineering of a design-and-build
consortium on the electrical and CNG infrastructure.

Some bus services will transition first to CNG, due to its longer range and its
lower cost of ownership compared to electric. Other routes will transition to
electricity, with an eventual transition to a 300-strong all-electric bus fleet.
**Roof-mounted PV solar panels** on the new facility
**will generate energy for the buildings**, equivalent to the demand from around
25 e-buses (out of 150). The business case showed it is expected to divide the
energy cost by 2 for the building, hedging from electricity market fluctuations,
compared to the baseline with no PV where electricity would be provided from the
electric grid.

SYSTRA studied several ‘What if’ scenarios on the future operations to test its
robustness and the related infrastructure. Our design, being performed in BIM
(Building Information Modelling), ensures the underlying infrastructure is
equipped for the next generation of bus fleet in terms of monitoring, operations
and maintenance.

**For this use case, it has been calculated that compared to its current internal combustion engine bus fleet, switching to a battery electric bus fleet would reduce yearly carbon emissions in operations by 83%**
^(4). Additional benefits would include the reduction of local polluting
emissions (NOx, hydrocarbon, particles) and less noise pollution due to the
quieter operation of electric vehicles.

^(4)
[WMATA-ZEB-Transition-Plan\_March2023.pdf](https://www.wmata.com/initiatives/plans/upload/WMATA-ZEB-Transition-Plan_March2023.pdf)

### CASE STUDY #3: In Canada, optimising electric bus infrastructure: a complex challenge

![electric-bus](https://www.systra.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/electric-bus.jpg)

**In Canada, optimising electric bus infrastructure: a complex challenge**

Bus electrification projects require setting off down the best route, using
efficiently design resource and delivering an optimal solution to a complex
problem. Among the parameters that must be considered are peak power supply and
demand, the physical configuration of the depot and its electrical
infrastructure, upfront investment and available fundings. For the latter, some
PTAs chose to issue green bonds to finance their project.

Criteria such as the number of rows in a charging garage, the number of buses
per row, the type of charger and their distribution have a significant impact on
the energy consumption profile.
**Our experience shows that getting the right combination can reduce peak power demand by up to 70%.**

**This extensive scenario modelling is only possible using digital tools.** Our
engineers use the Transit & Electromobility Smart Simulator (TESS), our bespoke
bus charging facility simulator which models parking patterns, vehicle
movements, electric infrastructure, power consumption, electricity tariffs and
provides outputs like operation plan compliance, charger-to-bus ratios, power
peak, operation and investment costs. Developed using real-life data, TESS helps
identify optimum operation scenarios of the electric infrastructure that would
otherwise be missed.

TESS was deployed on the preliminary design of an e-bus depot for Réseau de
transport de la Capitale (RTC) in Quebec, Canada, which is transitioning its
172-Metrobus fleet from diesel to electric. With challenges including the
capital budget, the km range of e-buses with variation due to extreme weather
temperatures, a tight space for the depot and charging arrangements, fire
hazard, TESS simulated different combinations to work out which would give the
best results in terms of capital and operational costs and returns while
ensuring a resilient operation plan.

By switching from diesel to electric buses, in a country where 99% of
electricity is already generated by hydropower,
**16,500 tonnes of carbon emissions during operations will be saved each year**.
Scenario testing with TESS means that the **proposed design** (whose main
feature is a 2e-buses per charger ratio)
**will require 68% less peak power, leading to a lower electricity tariff, and 28% savings on the capital cost of the electrical infrastructure**
compared to the baseline scenario with a 1 e-bus per charger ratio and no
optimisation.

**The 3 case studies were the opportunity to see how the systemic approach is the key to integrate the whole energy supply chain in an energy transition project, to work on multi-energy phased depots and to optimise the electric infrastructure with digital solutions.**
Let’s not forget that crossing that, safety is always a prerequisite with new
technologies and via our systemic approach. This is why SYSTRA has developed
some specific independent safety assessment skills, especially in Australia for
two tramway projects using battery while running under catenary free sections:
Paramatta Sydney and Newcastle. Risks of battery fire at depot, in operation and
electromagnetic fields while charging in operation have been closely monitored
to validate the implementation of those projects.

Energy transition within public transport can contribute to decrease
substantially carbon emissions in operation.
**Even if those technologies bring investment and operation cost challenges, there are strong ways to mitigate them.**

### 󠀁**STILL TO COME…**󠁿

In the next article, we will be delving further into how digital solutions
support smart energy transition projects for mobility.

_Photo Credits: GettyImages_