* R9 E: ]' ~9 u8 h% X3 ]2 ^维京集团的环保低污染火车已获英国财政部给予特别优惠税率奖励，如果未来半年运行顺利，维京希望能将所有火车都改用环保燃料。 . b7 ]9 b! o8 H$ {. k, @$ b. P9 y0 o# s+ r k: } - r2 N, @7 F# U* e3 g* G, K6 C2 Z Richard Branson's Virgin Trains sets the first vegetable-fueled service in motion. 9 F& \; P% W ~' A; \. \) z' L+ t 3 g% F2 o" F" w6 ]1 ~8 d3 h# uAll aboard Branson's bio train ! Z% m4 p( t s6 N8 l8 q# f' cEurope's first vegetable-fueled train begins service as part of billionaire's bid to fight global warming. 3 H9 ~2 K* V. H2 z" y ' j* e d" f" y2 E# b& xLONDON, June 7 (Reuters) -- Billionaire Richard Branson's commitment to combat global warming got on track Thursday as Europe's first scheduled passenger train fueled by vegetable oil left London for North Wales. % N5 S: e" d/ j& K# v$ O2 h1 q$ C: E
Branson's Virgin Trains is running one of its trains on a 20 percent biodiesel blend for a six-month trial, and the British entrepreneur said his whole fleet might eventually be converted to run on biofuels. ) ~5 d0 y% ]0 A# {7 X, c5 N I5 g8 Q+ H
Britain's current finance minister and next prime minister, Gordon Brown, attended the send-off at Euston station after facilitating the trial by allowing a special tax dispensation. $ M& E% c+ d& g/ o. e! | # o" f, |! w2 d% N k T& g; }"There is a possibility as the engines get changed we could go up to 100 percent biodiesel," Branson told a news conference, adding the company had been advised its current engines should run on a 20 percent blend. # W! A1 ]. J0 n' i6 D/ Y/ @5 g9 R+ w: f0 I/ z4 U
Branson has committed to spending all the profits from his airline and rail business to combat global warming. 6 o: n3 X" s% r2 ` ' S; {2 t6 r8 QHe also plans next year to have a test flight for one of his passenger aircraft using a biofuel. * R/ C9 Y8 D1 ^0 w5 ~ ' A+ _# W4 v, E; W+ wVirgin CrossCountry Managing Director Chris Gibb said the biofuel for locomotives would come mainly from the United Kingdom via domestically produced rapeseed oil blended with U.S. soybean oil and palm oil from the Far East.
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