Sierra Northern Railway (SERA) on April 8 reported successfully completing testing of its first four-axle, hydrogen fuel cell-powered (HFC), zero-emission switcher.
The test, SERA said, took place March 27 in West Sacramento, Calif. (click here to watch), and follows its acquisition of locomotive manufacturer RailPower LLC’s assets.
RailPower has been one of the short line’s partners to convert diesel switchers to HFC units. SERA began the initiative in 2021. It was awarded nearly $4 million from the California Energy Commission (CEC) to retire an older EPA Tier 0 diesel-powered switcher and replace it with an HFC, zero-emission unit. In 2023, the company landed a $15.6 million grant from the California State Transportation Authority (CalSTA) to convert three additional diesel switchers to HFC units. Both the CEC and the CalSTA projects “involve the integration of an advanced hydrogen fuel cell, hydrogen storage, advanced battery, and systems control technologies to provide an alternative to less environmentally friendly diesel-powered locomotives,” SERA reported during its award announcements.
The March 2025 demonstration was funded by the CEC grant and administered through GTI Energy.
According to SERA, the switcher’s “demonstration and validation … establishes a platform for widespread commercialization in the immediate future.” Short line and switching locomotives, it noted, “account for a significant share of the total locomotive energy use within the State of California as they carry a significant portion of freight in California and operate on the first and last miles of the national freight network, [which] makes short line operations an excellent testbed for the demonstration of zero-emission technologies and a key to decarbonizing transportation emissions.” Additionally, SERA said, since most switchers in California use an average of roughly 50,000 gallons per year per switcher, using a HFC unit could potentially lead to a reduction of more than 12 million gallons of diesel per year—approximately equivalent to the same amount of fuel used each year by 20,000 light-duty vehicles.
“This accomplishment marks another major milestone in Sierra’s mission to bring hydrogen-powered zero-emission switcher locomotives within commercial reach for the short line industry—both in California and around the world,” said Kennan H. Beard III, President of SERA, which operates approximately 75 miles of track in Northern California and 30 miles in Southern California, and interchanges with both BNSF and Union Pacific. “Sierra’s successful test proves that short lines can retire pre-Tier 0 to Tier 4 diesel locomotives and replace them with a hydrogen-powered, zero-emission switcher locomotives using our advanced hydrogen-powered units.”
When SERA announced in February that it had purchased RailPower’s assets, it said that it planned to build HFC locomotives on RailPower’s platform, “initially targeting the 260 locomotives used by short line railroads in California.”
What’s Next?
SERA reported that it has already started the process to build three additional HFC switchers with funding from CalSTA. That project, which will cost approximately $19.5 million, is slated for completion in fourth-quarter 2027. According to SERA, it will lead the way for the railroad to eventually convert all its fleet to HFC units.
SERA is owned by Sierra Railroad Company, the principal owner of Sierra Energy Corporation, which has developed a proprietary waste-to-clean hydrogen technology.
SERA’s other funding partners include The Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality District, SoCalGas and the Low Carbon Resource Initiative. Project Partners include: GTI Energy, Velocity Strategies, WHA International, Inc., OptiFuel Systems, Ballard Power Systems, UC Riverside, and Valley Vision.
Further Reading:
- OptiFuel, CSU Pueblo, UDel Awarded $26MM in CRISI Grants
- USDOT: $31.4MM for SNR, MRY
- OptiFuel to Begin Testing New Locomotive, Tender Prototypes
- SERA Lands $15.6MM Grant for Zero-Emission Switchers Project
- SERA Unveils Hydrogen Switcher Livery
- SoCalGas Provides $500,000 to help develop SNR’s HFC-powered switcher
- Ballard Power Systems Providing Fuel Cell Modules to SNR
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