CSXT Continues to Invest in New Technology to Drive Efficiency and a Reduction in Emissions

CHICAGO — CSX Transportation said it continues to invest in technology to make its fleet of more than 4,000 locomotives as efficient as possible.

Efficient locomotives, pulling an average of 7 million carloads of freight annually on CSXT, allow freight railroads to be the most environmentally friendly way to move goods over land, CSX said.

“Since 2000, CSXT has invested more than $1 billion in technology to upgrade its locomotive fleet, allowing for a 90 percent improvement in fuel efficiency since 1980,” Carl Gerhardstein, CSXT director of environmental systems said at the “Greening of Transportation” panel discussion at the Fall 2009 Business Advisory Council Meeting hosted by Northwestern University’s Transportation Center in Evanston, Ill.

“This drastic improvement in efficiency has allowed for lower fuel consumption and fewer emissions. We continually research and invest in new technologies that are good for the environment and also meet the needs of our customers,” Gerhardstein added.

CSXT was the first Class 1 railroad to join the EPA’s Climate Leaders program and has been recognized for its commitment to developing and implementing environmentally-friendly initiatives, according to the railroad.

“The EPA estimates that moving freight by rail emits three times less nitrogen oxide and particulates per ton mile than highway transportation — shifting 10 percent of long-haul freight from the highway to the railroad would reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by more than 12 million tons,” Gerhardstein said.

Additionally, CSXT is partnering with local and state governments and other private-sector partners to introduce ultra-low emission GenSet locomotives to rail yards across its network. GenSet locomotives reduce nitrous oxide and particulate matter emissions by 80 percent and can create carbon dioxide emissions savings of up to 50 percent by monitoring engine idling and switching to a “sleep” mode after a period of inactivity.

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