UP, GE plan ?green? locomotive tour of California

UP, GE plan ôgreenö locomotive tour of California Union Pacific Railroad and General Electric Tuesday announced the Green Locomotive Technology Tour to showcase current and experimental technologies that are designed to reduce locomotive emissions.
   The environmental rail tour, complete with four 'green' locomotives, will wind through California Feb. 20-28 with planned stops in West Colton, Fresno, Stockton, Roseville, Oakland, Los Angeles and Long Beach.
   At each stop on the tour, UP and GE representatives plan to brief government officials and members of the public on the two companies different environmental programs. On-board tours of the 'green' locomotives will be accompanied by overviews of fuel conservation initiatives and railroad safety practices.
   UP plans to spend more than $5 billion by the end of 2007 to purchase new, environmentally friendly locomotives, including millions to retrofit older locomotives.
   Trains, like those operated by UP, are traditionally one of the cleanest ways to move freight.
   According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a typical over-the-road truck emits three times more nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulates per ton-mile than a locomotive. While only part of the entire air pollution make-up generated by burning fossil fuels, NOx and particulate emissions have received recent scrutiny in the Southern California basin as a major contributor to health problems.
   Studies have shown a link between the pollution and illnesses such as asthma and elevated cancer levels near transportation routes. According to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, if just 10 percent of intercity freight now moving by highway were shifted to rail, 2.5 million fewer tons of carbon dioxide would be emitted into the air.
   The locomotives scheduled for the tour include:
   * A GE Evolution, a next-generation low-emission diesel engine that has cost GE Transportation $300 million and eight years to develop.
   * A low-emission Genset locomotive switcher, developed by UP to reduce NOx and particulate matter emissions by as much as 80 percent to 90 percent while achieving a 16 percent reduction in fuel consumption. The railroad began testing a prototype of the Genset in Long Beach in 2006. The first production unit started duty in the Los Angeles Basin rail yards in January 2007. UP expects to have more than 160 Gensets in operation by the end of 2007.
   * A circa-1989 high-horsepower long-haul locomotive being used as a retrofit test-bed by UP. The locomotive runs on ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel and is outfitted with an experimental oxidation catalyst (Oxicat) filter. The filter and fuel combination has been shown to reduce locomotive emissions by 50 percent. A yearlong field test of the Oxicat setup is under way in the Los Angeles area.
   * A circa-1982 low-horsepower yard locomotive fitted with an experimental diesel particulate filter (DPF). The DPF uses high temperature silicon carbide blocks to trap particulate matter from engine exhaust, thus, lowering emissions. During static testing, particulate emissions were reduced 80 percent with the DPF installed. A yearlong field test of the DPF is underway in UP's Oakland rail yard.
   Tour schedule dates and locations are: Bloomington, Feb. 20; Fresno, Feb. 21; Stockton, Feb. 21; Roseville, Feb. 22; Oakland, Feb. 23; Los Angeles, Feb. 24; and Long Beach, Feb 26-27. For more information, see the press release section of the UP Web site at https://www.up.com.