A Mooresville man’s longtime effort to convince transportation officials to power passenger trains with a cleaner, cheaper energy source may finally be on track.

The N.C. Department of Transportation is in the early stages of a project to convert one of its Piedmont passenger trains, with daily service between Raleigh and Charlotte, from diesel fuel to hydrogen fuel cells.

The transformation would make North Carolina a pioneer in “hydrail" technology.

“This would be the first of its type in this country,” said Lynn Harris, senior project engineer and program manager for emissions and propulsion technology at McDowell Engineering & Associates, a firm consulting with NCDOT’s rail division on the planned conversion.

Harris said the project is still in the very early planning stages as the state seeks funding for a feasibility study of hydrail passenger service.

By the end of 2018, state transportation officials plan to meet with their federal counterparts, who have expressed an interest in helping states that adopt hydrail technology, Harris said.

“A substantial amount of work still has to be done, but we believe we are on a good trajectory so far,” said Harris.