With the federal government partnering with truck manufacturers to improve the fuel efficiency of diesel rigs, and electric trucks beginning to hit the roads, the railroad industry needs to step up its efforts to reduce and ultimately eliminate locomotive emissions. That’s the view of consultant Michael Iden, whose four-decade railroad career was devoted to […]
Agracel Rail Holdings launches with agreement at Ohio industrial park A company providing industrial development services to rural communities is launching a rail affiliate. Agracel Rail Holdings, a subsidiary of Agracel, Inc., will begin operations by redeveloping and operating rail infrastructure at The Point Industrial Park in South Point, Ohio. “Our goal in becoming a […]
CHICAGO — Anacostia Rail Holding’s six short lines have become certified partners of the Environmental Protection Agency SmartWay Transportation Partnership, a collaboration between industry and environmental groups to track and reduce emissions and fuel use in the transportation sector. The more than 3,000 partners in the program, which launched in 2004, including railroads, trucking, air, […]
PITTSBURGH — Wabtec says the next step in its development of a battery-electric locomotive will be a locomotive with a battery capacity of more than 6 megawatt hours, which could reduce the fuel consumption and carbon emissions of a locomotive consist by up to 30%. Such a second-generation locomotive would be offered commercially and could […]
Niagara Junction Although it was built by the Niagara Falls Power Co. in the 1890’s, 11-mile switching road Niagara Junction used steam locomotives at first. Electrification, with 660-volt D.C. catenary and steeplecabs, came in 1913. New General Electric motors arrived in 1952 (that’s one at right, in October ’67), by which time the road was […]
Virginia Railway Express to restore full schedule on June 1 Virginia Railway Express will restore service to pre-pandemic levels as of Tuesday, June 1, the commuter rail operator has announced. The agreement allowing VRE passengers to use some Amtrak trains remains suspended. Schedule information is available here. VRE reduced service to its “S” schedule, with […]
OMAHA, Neb. — With a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 26% by the end of the decade, Union Pacific is working to improve locomotive fuel efficiency, plans to roll out battery-electric locomotives soon, and is exploring alternatives to the diesel-electric. “We do not plan on buying any new locomotives — unless it’s battery-electric locomotives […]
Wabtec wins award for FLXdrive locomotive, Golden Stevie Award; gains contract for equipment in India Wabtec’s FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive has been named a winner of Fast Company magazine’s World Changing Ideas for 2021 in the transportation category. The locomotive, which recently concluded more than 13,000 miles of testing in Southern California, uses more than 18,000 […]
Initial test of Wabtec’s FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive have concluded, with both the manufacturer and testing partner BNSF Railway saying the locomotive’s revenue testing in Southern California — which covered more than 13,000 miles — indicate the promise of the technology. During Wednesday’s quarterly earnings call — as the locomotive was making its way back to […]
An Amtrak special equipment move through Wilmington, Del., at 6:20 a.m. on Wednesday morning with “Salute to Veterans” ACS-46 No. 642 on the point and two P42 diesels in tow carrying two of Amtrak’s six 50th-anniversary paint schemes — “Midnight Blue” locomotive No. 100, and No. 46, which carries the current paint scheme with large […]
CICERO, Ill. — Wabtec’s FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive No. 3000 made an appearance in the Chicago area on Tuesday, showing up as the trailing unit in a three-unit set of locomotives on an eastbound train of hopper cars. The train arrived at Cicero Yard shortly before noon, and departed a little more than two hours later, […]
CHICAGO — The Metra board of directors has approved a Request for Proposals to convert three of Metra’s F40PH-3 diesels into battery-powered, zero-emission diesels, with the aim of awarding a contract this fall and having the first locomotive delivered 30 months later. “This proposal could be game-changing,” Metra Executive Director/CEO Jim Derwinski said in a […]
