New York City’s solid waste soon will be “run out of town on a rail”—actually, on two locomotive trains that will be retrofitted with next-generation diesel technology.
On December 13, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), along with the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY), the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the conventional freight locomotives will “go green,” with state-of-the-art low-emissions diesel technology, thanks to a $2 million grant through the 2011 round of the EPA National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program.
The locomotives will remain in the City’s freight rail network and will be transformed in partnership with Jacksonville, Florida-based CSX Transportation and the joint work of the Glendale, New York-based New York & Atlantic Railway and Waste Management of New York. They are expected to be operational by late 2013.
The repowering of a locomotive involves removing the old engine and replacing it with a newer, cleaner propulsion system. Both pieces of equipment will be repowered with Generator Set (GenSet) technology. In this new configuration, the single conventional diesel engine is replaced with several smaller generator sets that can be activated when the locomotive is working at full power and deactivated when their power is not needed. This ability to tailor horsepower greatly cuts down on fuel consumption and pollution.
The two conversions will save an estimated 31,000 gallons of fuel each year and remove an expected 32 tons of nitrogen oxides and 0.64 tons of particulate matter from the air annually. Removing 32 tons of nitrogen oxides from the air is the equivalent of taking over 4,300 personal automobiles off of the road each year.
“The EPA should be applauded for their commitment to green technology. This program provides vital funding that helps move to cleaner and more efficient energy. It should help improve air quality in residential neighborhoods that freight lines pass through every day,” said U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY).
The first retrofitted locomotive will be based at the Fresh Pond Rail Yard in Glendale, Queens and operated by the New York & Atlantic Railway for service in Queens and Brooklyn. The locomotive currently is in active service on the Bushwick and Lower Montauk branches in Brooklyn and Queens, serving more than 20 local businesses, including the DSNY Varick Avenue truck-to-rail waste transfer station, operated by Waste Management. Both New York & Atlantic and Waste Management will cover the additional conversion costs and after repowering; this will be the first locomotive in the region that meets the U.S. EPA Tier 4 emission standard which is not required until 2015.
The other green locomotive, operated by CSX Transportation, will be based at the Oak Point Rail Yard in Port Morris, Bronx, and will service both the Bronx and Queens. Already in active service, making up and pulling the daily interchange trains that travel between the South Bronx and Queens. This locomotive will meet the U.S. EPA Tier 3 emission standards and will complement the four GenSet locomotives that CSX already uses in the area. CSX is participating financially and supplying one of its locomotives suitable for retrofit.”
“This locomotive adds to CSX’s fleet of environmentally-advanced locomotives. The unit’s fuel efficiency, reduced carbon footprint, and reduced emissions make rail transportation an even more environmentally responsible choice for moving goods”, said Carl Gerhardstein, CSX’s assistant vice president—Environmental Systems.
One boxcar on the railroad can handle the equivalent of three to four tractor trailer trucks. The New York City freight rail system takes an average of 260,000 truck trips off the road each year. Freight rail is an important part of New York City’s transportation system, enabling large and small businesses to take advantage of freight rail’s economic and environmental benefits to remain healthy and competitive.
The initiative to create the green freight locomotives is directly tied to PlaNYC’s goals of improving freight movement and reducing transportation emissions in the City. Updated in April 2011, PlaNYC is the city’s long-term strategic plan through 2030 to build a greener, greater New York.
The National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program awards competitive grants to fund implementation of diesel emission reduction technologies that are verified and certified by either the EPA or the California Air Resources Board. It is one of the four programs under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Program.
“This grant will enable us to introduce extremely low-emission locomotives to New York City,” said Congressman Jerry Nadler (D-NY). “This innovation will reduce diesel emissions, improve energy efficiency and decrease noise pollution. The repowered locomotives will leverage advanced technologies to generate significant environmental and economic benefits to the entire downstate region. Rail is by far the greenest way to move freight, and this $2 million will help make rail freight even cleaner. I am very pleased to have been able to help secure this important grant for our city.”
“These retrofitted locomotives demonstrate the City’s commitment to sustainable transportation and green technology that will benefit local residents and employees alike, while also allowing the railroad operators to run more efficient operations and provide cost-effective transportation services to area businesses. We thank the EPA and our elected and community partners, who recognized that this grant would be a win-win for New York City,” said NYCEDC President Seth W. Pinsky.
