AMTRAK FUEL CONSUMPTION STUDY

This report documents a study of fuel consumption on National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) trains and is part of an effort to determine effective ways of conserving fuel on the Amtrak system. The study was performed by the Transportation Systems Center (TSC) under the sponsorship of the Federal Railroad Administration and in cooperation with Amtrak. A series of 26 test runs were conducted on Amtrak trains operating between Boston, Massachusetts, and New Haven, Connecticut, to measure fuel consumption, trip time and other fuel-use-related parameters. The test data were analyzed and compared with results of the TSC Train Performance Simulator replicating the same operations. Results of the tests showed that the average fuel consumption for the 157.7 mile trip was 368 gallons and that the average fuel use efficiency was 277 ton-miles per gallon. Fuel consumption and fuel use efficiency were found to increase consistently with increasing train tonnage. One locomotive was also found to consume about 12 percent more fuel than the other locomotive tested. The fuel consumption and trip time results for individual runs varied between +8.0 to -9.5 and +5.4 and -10.7 percent, respectively, of the Train Performance Simulator results. However, when averaged over the ten test runs analyzed, the fuel consumption and trip time results were within 1.04 and 0.03 percent, respectively, of the simulator. Throttle notch settings and train speed profiles also agreed well with simulated results.

• 
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/10060
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Systems Center

  55 Broadway, Kendall Square
  Cambridge, MA  United States  02142

  Federal Railroad Administration

  Office of Research and Development, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • HITZ, J S
• Publication Date: 1981-2

Media Info

• Pagination: 77 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Data collection; Diesel engines; Diesel fuels; Fuel consumption; Load factor; Passenger trains; Passenger transportation; Railroad rails; Railroad transportation; Train operations; Travel time; Velocity
• Identifier Terms: Amtrak
• Old TRIS Terms: Diesel electric power; Train performance calculator
• Subject Areas: Energy; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Railroads; Vehicles and Equipment; I96: Vehicle Operating Costs;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00343669
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transportation Statistical Reference File, TSC
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT-TSC-FRA-81-6 Final Rpt., FRA/ORD-81/42
• Files: TSR, NTL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Oct 28 1982 12:00AM