Advanced technologies from GE (NYSE:GE) and GE Transportation, a
world-leading provider of innovative rail products and services, are on
display at Railway Interchange through October 1.
GE’s latest technologies are helping drive productivity and create
sustainable outcomes for customers. These technologies help solve
complex rail challenges, reduce operating costs, decrease fuel use,
minimize downtime, increase safety and improve environmental performance.
Evolution Series Advance Power 4 Engine
GE Transportation’s new Evolution Series Advance Power 4 locomotive
meets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) stringent Tier 4
emission standards without the use of any type of aftertreatment. GE
expects that the Advance Power 4 will be the first mainline locomotive
on the market to meet such standards.
Part of the ecomagination-certified Evolution Series, this locomotive
will decrease emissions by more than 70 percent and will save railroad
customers more than $1.5 billion in urea infrastructure and operational
costs. GE Transportation has invested $600 million in the Evolution
Series since its introduction in 2005 and started field testing a Tier 4
compliant locomotive along 100 miles of track through western
Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. Additional field testing will take place
in the near future.
NextFuel Natural Gas Retrofit Kit
GE Transportation’s new NextFuelTM Natural Gas Retrofit Kits
enable existing Evolution Series locomotives to operate with dual fuel
capabilities. This gives railroads flexibility to run on both diesel
fuel and liquid natural gas (LNG) with up to 80 percent gas substitution
as well as run 100 percent diesel. GE’s NextFuel kits allow railroads to
use natural gas as a fuel source, reducing emissions and potentially
reducing fuel costs by 50 percent while not compromising performance.
GE has been testing this low-pressure natural gas technology since the
spring of 2013 and is working closely with its Class 1 partners for
further field testing. The use of liquid natural gas (LNG), which is
cryogenically stored in a tender in consist, provides enough fuel for a
fully-loaded train to travel longer distances without refueling stops.
An Evolution Series locomotive equipped with the NextFuel Natural Gas
Retrofit Kit meets US EPA Tier 3 emission standards. A pilot program
with the BNSF to test the use of natural gas as a fuel source for
locomotives will proceed in 2014.
RailDOCS
RailDOCS is a web-based, mobile solution providing an innovative asset
management platform for track, signal and wayside assets.
RailDOCS Hours of Service, released in 2011 for railroad signal
employees, now supports train crews (transit and freight) and train
dispatch employees. It is a web-based solution that electronically
records employee work hours and provides real-time access to employee
rest status and availability. It complies with the Code of Federal
Regulations which governs hours of service for railroad employees and
mandates undisturbed rest periods,
A new addition to the RailDOCS software suite is Bridge Structure
Inspection System, a web-based application designed to manage bridge
information and inspections for railroads and transit agencies. Bridge
Structure Inspection System allows online access to bridge inventory
data, inspection records and critical safety information. RailDOCS
Bridge Structure Inspection software meets the need for rail carriers
and transit agencies to conduct regular evaluations of their bridge
assets, complying with the federally mandated Bridge Management Program.
About GE Transportation
GE Transportation, a unit of GE (NYSE:GE), solves the world’s toughest
transportation challenges. GE Transportation builds equipment that moves
the rail, mining and marine industries. Our fuel-efficient and
lower-emissions freight and passenger locomotives, diesel engines for
rail, marine and stationary power applications, signaling and software
solutions, drive systems for mining trucks, and value-added services
help customers grow. GE Transportation is headquartered in Chicago, IL,
and employs approximately 13,000 employees worldwide.
For more information visit the company's website at www.getransportation.com
Copyright Business Wire 2013