GE unveils prototype for next Evolution® Series Locomotive

Erie, Pa.-based GE Transportation Friday unveiled its next Evolution Series locomotive that the company says "will decrease constituent emissions by more than 70% and save railroad customers more than $1.5 billion in infrastructure and operational costs."

The company anticipates that the new locomotive “will be the first in the industry to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) stringent Tier 4 emission standards, which call for the single-largest emission reduction in the tiered program’s timeline. The new locomotive will meet this standard with technological advancements versus costly alternatives, which require special exhaust additives and infrastructure investments.”

GE Transportation President and CEO Lorenzo Simonelli said, “GE Transportation continues to challenge what is possible and reshape the future of the rail industry in the United States. Thanks to the tireless efforts of our employees and the collaboration with our customers, we are the first in the industry to offer a solution that meets the next phase of the EPA’s emissions standards. Our technology is good for our customers and better for the environment.”

Added Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, “This is another example of the innovation and ingenuity of the Erie workforce and GE. My administration firmly believes we can be successful in business while also safeguarding our environment and this advancement does exactly that. Congratulations to the GE Transportation team on this milestone achievement.”

Effective in 2015, the EPA will require manufacturers of locomotive diesel engines to lower particulate emissions 70% and NOx 76%, compared to engines first introduced in 2005. Alternative solutions, GE says, would likely rely on the use of a Urea exhaust additive to meet these Tier 4 emission standards, requiring railroads to build an extensive network of fueling stations across North America. But the

GE’s Evolution Series Locomotive will not require the additive and railroad customers will not have to incur the costs related to rail infrastructure upgrades, the company said.

The Tier 4 Evolution Series Locomotives will be built at the company’s locomotive manufacturing sites in Erie, Pa., and in Fort Worth, Tex.; the Tier 4 compliant diesel engines will be manufactured in Grove City, Pa.

GE Transportation is a unit of Fairfield, Conn.-based General Electric Co.