When the big money gets into sustainable energy…

LONDON, 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.

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.

   

Richard Branson’s Virgin Trains sets the first vegetable-fueled service in motion.

   

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.

"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.