GE Tier 4 Locomotive Cuts Emissions More than 70 Percent

GE Transportation has unveiled the prototype for its next-generation freight locomotive that it says will decrease emissions by more than 70 percent compared to 2005 engines and save railroad customers more than $1.5 billion in infrastructure and operational costs.

GE expects that its latest Evolution Series Locomotive will be the first in the industry to meet the US EPA’s Tier 4 emission standards, which take effect in 2015 and call for the single largest emission reduction in the tiered program’s timeline. Tier 4 requires manufacturers to lower locomotive diesel engines’ particulate emissions by 70 percent and NOx by 76 percent, compared to engines first introduced in 2005.

GE says its new ecomagination-qualified locomotive will meet these requirements with technological advancements as opposed to “costly alternatives,” which would likely use a urea exhaust additive to meet the emission standards. This would require railroads to build an extensive network of fueling stations across North America.

Read more about GE Transportation's next-generation locomotive at Environmental Leader.