South Fraser Community Rail is pleased to announce our support and participation in the upcoming 2020 International Hydrail and Global Sustainability Conference. The 15th annual IHC conference will be hosted this year June 1–5 by the K’uL Group, Penticton Indian Band and University of British Columbia Okanagan.
BC is lucky to have the opportunity to host this year’s IHC event. Last year’s conference was in Hamburg (Germany), next year’s will be in France, and 2022 will be hosted in Japan.
the International Hydrail Conference (IHC) began in 2005 as an academic event in Charlotte, NC (US) to showcase hydrail innovation — powering trains with hydrogen — an upcoming technology that will replace diesel.
Since September 2018, a first line in Northern Germany near Hamburg became fully operational with self-powered hydrail regional passenger rail in scheduled daily services.
Passengers and residents love the silence and the emission-free rides. At RAILLIVE 2019 in Birmingham (June 2019) three manufacturers presented their hydrail railcars, showing hydrail becoming a reality. IHC celebrated this with a special workshop in Hamburg last June, an excursion to the township of Bremervörde where ALSTOM operates it’s hydrail iLINT Coradia railcars.
South Fraser Community Rail, the proposal for a 99km passenger rail reactivation from Surrey to Chilliwack, has been attracting the attention of the Province of BC and international hydrail proponents. Vancouver Island and the Okanagan are also actively pursing opportunities to apply hydrail passenger service to their own regions, and we are excited to join forces to make these visionary plans a reality.
For more information on the upcoming conference, or to apply to attend, check out:
https://kulgroup.ca/2019/10/29/2020-international-hydrail-and-sustainability-conference-ihc/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhckEOu06aw&feature=youtu.be