See numerous senior transit positions  —  including two CEOs, one assistant general manager, and a senior vice president  —  in today's Classifieds. 
 

Hydrail technology—which uses hydrogen fuel cells instead of traditional diesel-electric generators to power rail equipment traction motors—will be the topic of the Fifth International Hydrail Conference June 11-12 on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, hosted by the Charlotte Research Institute.

Specifically, the conference will examine “hydrolleys”: streetcars powered by hydrogen fuel cells, which eliminates the need for overhead catenary wires. Those can cost $4.5 million per mile, according to Stan Thompson of the Hydrogen Economy Advancement Team of the Mooresville/South Iredell Chamber of Commerce in Mooresville, NC, which has proposed using hydrolley technology for future extensions of the Charlotte Area Transit System’s LYNX light rail line.

Speakers will include Walter Kulyk, director of the Office of Mobility Innovation at the Federal Transit Administration, and Dale Hill, chief executive officer of Proterra LLC, a manufacturer that has done extensive hydrail research.

Thompson explained: “Once the industry realizes that there is a less expensive wireless option in the wings, the next thing is to get one demonstrated at top speed so as to not slow down the renaissance of streetcars, which is central to [President] Obama’s anti-sprawl plan.”

The program agenda and conference registration are available online.

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