Union Pacific Pioneers New Low-Emission Locomotives

OMAHA, Neb., Sept. 30 -- Union Pacific Railroad has expanded its extensive air emission reduction program by acquiring two types of new high-tech locomotives for switching in rail yards.

Union Pacific has ordered a prototype diesel "truck-engine" switch (TES) locomotive and has leased a newer version of a hybrid electric locomotive known as the "Green Goat." The railroad was the first to test the original Green Goat hybrid in Roseville, Calif., two years ago.

"Union Pacific has been a leader in pursuing new technology to reduce diesel air emissions," said Bob Grimaila, UP senior assistant vice president- safety, environment and security. "These locomotives will continue to advance our fleet as the most environmentally friendly on the continent."

Both switching locomotives are expected to reduce nitrous oxides (NOx) and particulate matter by approximately 70 to 90 percent.

The TES will be certified under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency "Tier 2" standards that become effective January 1, 2005. Tier 2 certified locomotives have NOx emissions that are 67 percent lower than those of locomotives manufactured prior to 1973.

In the past five years, 35 percent of Union Pacific's locomotive fleet has been certified under EPA Tier 0 standards (44 percent less than pre-1973 NOx emission levels) and Tier 1 standards (56 percent less than pre-1973 NOx emission levels). This percentage makes Union Pacific's locomotive fleet the "greenest" in the industry.

The TES will be used in medium- to heavy-duty switching operations in and around rail yards where railcars are collected and sorted for trains. It will use two state-of-the-art diesel engines developed for large, over-the-road trucks.

Still, for normal heavy-tonnage freight trains operating long distances between cities, locomotives using conventional 3,000-4,400 horsepower diesel engines emit only one-third as much NOx compared to over-the-road diesel trucks when measured in emissions per gross ton-mile.

The truck-engine diesels will power a generator in the same manner as a conventional locomotive and will provide electricity to run the traction motors that turn the wheels. National Railway Equipment Company, based in Dixmoor, Ill., is developing the truck-engine locomotive.

Union Pacific's other acquisition -- the newer hybrid electric Green Goat locomotive -- uses batteries to power its electric traction motors. A small 300-horsepower diesel engine-driven generator recharges the batteries as necessary.

Designed for light-to-medium switching, the hybrid electric locomotive is expected to achieve fuel savings of up to 80 percent.

Railpower Technologies, Inc., based in Vancouver, British Columbia, will manufacture the Green Goat. "Goat" is a traditional railroad nickname for switching locomotives.

Union Pacific Corporation owns one of America's leading transportation companies. Its principal operating company, Union Pacific Railroad, is the largest railroad in North America, covering 23 states across the western two-thirds of the United States. A strong focus on quality and a strategically advantageous route structure enable the company to serve customers in critical and fast growing markets. It is a leading carrier of low-sulfur coal used in electrical power generation and has broad coverage of the large chemical-producing areas along the Gulf Coast. With competitive long-haul routes between all major West Coast ports and eastern gateways, and as the only railroad to serve all six major gateways to Mexico, Union Pacific has the premier rail franchise in North America.

For additional information call John Bromley (402) 544-3475.

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