On 27 July 2023, the first passenger train in the UK powered by recycled vegetable oil started operation. It was a train set consisting of Mark III coaches pushed and pulled by the Class 68 (Stadler UKlight) locomotive. The operator, Chiltern Railways, responded to the concerns of the stakeholders and passengers regarding the diesel operation's environmental impact and started a program of HVO use in its operation.
Through powering trains by used cooking oils, greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by up to 90% and air particulates by 85%. Depending on engine type and usage, it can reduce other emissions, such as NOx and Carbon Monoxide too. Supplier of HVO for Chiltern Railways is Green Biofuels.
Chiltern Railways belong to Arriva, and, thus, to DB. The company operates trains from London Marylebone to destinations in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire and long-distance services to the West Midlands along two routes. The Chiltern Main Line services run from London Marylebone to Birmingham Snow Hill, Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford, with some peak-hour services to Stourbridge Junction.
