Worcester, Mass.-based P&W also will continue to fuel its locomotives with ultra low sulfur diesel fuel ahead of the 2012 mandate, further reducing harmful emissions.

"The Providence and Worcester Railroad is a significant regional freight rail line with operations in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York. As such, a diesel emissions reduction project involving P&W has long been a top priority forthe Northeast Diesel Collaborative," said Paul Miller, NESCAUM deputy director. "We are very pleased that EPA has seen fit to fund this particular project."

The partnership received $535,250 for such work through the Environmental Protection Agency, as part of a $1.35 million package to reduce diesel emissions from various equipment sources throughout New England. 

For Massachusetts specifically, "the MassCleanDiesel program aims to reduce the adverse health effects of diesel pollution on our residents. Emissions from thousands of school and transit buses, and off-road construction vehicles are now being cleaned up,” said Laurie Burt, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. “The EPA grants will add to the Commonwealth’s efforts to retrofit locomotive diesel engines and support clean hybrid technologies for diesel trucks.”