BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) in partnership with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District were awarded the $22.6 million Zero and Near Zero Emission Freight Facilities grant by the California Air Resource Board to introduce several emissions reducing technologies relevant to railyards.
BNSF has planned to collaborate with numerous industry partners check the feasibility of zero emission technologies. BNSF has an aim to continue the reduction of human impact on the environment, and in addition, the company is dedicated to test the commercial viability of new technologies that reduce emissions.
Such initiatives will add to BNSF’s present investments for sustainable technologies such as idle control, electric hostlers, electric wide-span cranes, Tier 4 locomotives and automated gates at its intermodal facilities. In their effort, BNSF will work with GE Transportation on the design and manufacture of a battery-electric locomotive that will power a freight train from Stockton to Barstow.
GE Transportation is engaged in developing an all battery electric locomotive to prove the technology’s potential in the rail industry. This AC Evolution Series locomotive featuring an overall energy-management system, including onboard energy storage, combined with an advanced system-optimization control for improved performance. The locomotive will create 2,400 kilowatt-hours of power and can lessen a freight train’s total fuel consumption significantly.
Electric and hybrid locomotives hold great potential to lessen emissions and cost of operation simultaneously. The project will provide data about the capabilities of power from batteries and the optimal operational methods to create a cleaner, more efficient solution for the freight rail industry.
The hybrid cranes have the significantly greater ability to reduce emissions by almost 70 percent in comparison to diesel powered counterparts. The equipment will be made in 2019 and implemented within a year in 2020. The grant is expected to cover nearly half the cost of the estimated $45 million project. The remainder will be provided by BNSF and the other partnered corporates.
BNSF Railway is one of North America’s top freight companies. It operates nearly 32,500 route miles of track in 28 states and also in 3 Canadian provinces. The company is also one of the top transporters of numerous products such as consumer goods, low-sulfur coal, grain and agricultural products, and industrial goods. BNSF’s activities are essential for the basic necessities of American homes and businesses. The company has developed one of the efficient and advanced railroads in the sector.