An interesting article by Christopher Mims at The Wall Street Journal detailing the efficiency and safety of freight rail and how the implementation of digital technologies provides an opportunity to significantly increase rail utilization while also reducing carbon emissions.
After 10 months of testing, two RER (Réseau Express Régional, Regional Express Network) A Line (MI 09) trains have been equipped with brake linings that Wabtec says “can reduce emissions of PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 particulates related to friction by up to 90%.”
The Wabtec Fuel App collects and connects data from multiple systems and sensors to provide an up-to-date view of fuel consumption. It can connect to energy management systems, event recorders, train sensors, fuel gauges, locomotive control systems, and external systems such as fuel depot records for valuable data and insights.
Wabtec has upped its commitment to additive manufacturing with a new 11,000-square-foot facility at the Pittsburgh Airport Innovation Campus in an area dedicated to 3D printing technology. The new, bigger lab features an SLM 800 printer, one of just four in the United States, capable of printing large-scale parts.
The world’s first battery-electric freight train was unveiled at an event in Pittsburgh on Friday, amid a fresh attempt by some US lawmakers to slash carbon emissions from rail transport in order to address the climate crisis.
Wabtec’s FLXdrive, described as “the world’s first 100% battery, heavy-haul locomotive,” fresh off testing on BNSF, was front and center at a Sept. 10 event at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) to mark the signing of two MOUs (memorandum of understanding). One, noting CMU as “a top university in engineering, artificial intelligence, battery technology, autonomy and robotics,” involves Wabtec and the university “formalizing their joint aim to create technologies that will decarbonize freight rail transport, improve freight safety, and generate greater rail network utilization.” The other is between Wabtec and Genesee & Wyoming “to pursue zero-emission battery and hydrogen freight strategies, as well as increase rail utilization across North America.”
Wabtec Corp. showed off its fully electric, FLXdrive battery-operated locomotive on Friday at its Freight 2030 Mission to Net Zero event in South Oakland area of Pittsburgh
Wabtec has reached a milestone, completing its 1,000th remanufactured locomotive at plants in Fort Worth; Erie, Pa.; and Contagem, Brazil, since the program’s start in 2015.
The Port, in partnership with Wabtec, reported the launch of Horizon, “a long-term cargo volume predictive feature” of its Port Optimizer™ Control Tower data tool, on July 19.
Colossal freight locomotives are a fixture of the American landscape, but their 4,400-horsepower engines collectively burn 3.5 billion gallons of diesel annually, at a time when railroads and other fossil fuel users face pressure to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.