CLEVELAND —Newburgh & South Shore Railroad, an OmniTRAX short line serving the Cleveland area, has introduced its first battery-electric locomotive, the first electric locomotive operated by an Ohio short line. The locomotive, an AMPS Traction G9, is intended to reduce fuel consumption by half and NOx emission and particulate matter by 77%.
The locomotive was funded in part by a grant from the $75 million Diesel Mitigation Trust Fund, overseen by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency; the railroad was one of seven grant recipients. The unit has been dedicated in memory of OmniTRAX Divisional Track Engineer Steve Ward. The company’s longest-serving employee, he over saw track maintenance and safety for 27 years until his death in 2021.
“Electric locomotives play an important role in our industry and AMPS Traction’s innovative technology is the perfect addition to our fleet,” OmniTRAX President and Chief Operating Officer Sergio Sabatini said in a press release. “We will continue to invest in technologies that help keep our communities clean and safe, and we are thankful to Gov. [Mike] DeWine and Ohio EPA for the grant program that has made this emission-saving equipment upgrade possible.”
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