Minnesota program is full steam ahead on locomotive emissions reduction

By Sharon Rolenc
Minnesota News Connection

New technology is helping a pair of old locomotives save money and run cleaner in the Twin Cities.

Project Green Fleet, a collaboration among businesses, government agencies and nonprofit organizations to reduce emissions from Minnesota's diesel vehicles, has retrofitted two Twin Cities & Western Railroad Co. engines with efficient auxilliary power units, also known as APUs, which allow engineers to shut the trains' main engines down while they are parked.

Traditionally, diesel trains must run continuously during the winter to keep the fuel and oil from freezing - all at high cost and significant emissions.

Tony Maietta, environmental protection specialist for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, says the APUs work very well.

"This device will keep the fluids at an operable level all the way down to negative forty degrees Fahrenheit," Maietta said. "It can be very cold outside, and this train engine will be ready to start."

Locomotive engines consume between four and 12 gallons of diesel fuel each hour while idling, says Maietta, depending on the outside air temperature. The emissions can have health consequences for people who live near rail lines, he says.

"The nature of particulate matter emissions is that it tends to be worse close to the source. People who live next to a rail yard are going to be more exposed to this pollution than folks who might live a half mile away. So, there is a real need to address these engines."

The APUs consume only one-half gallon of fuel per hour, by comparison. Given the long life of a diesel locomotive engine, Maietta says the $50,000 APU system is much more cost-effective than total locomotive replacement, which can cost $1 million.

Trucking industry leaders have long challenged the railroad's lack of environmental regulations. According to Maietta, the situation is beginning to change.

"Emissions regulations that address these locomotive engines are just starting to kick in," he said. "So, they haven't in the past had to meet a lot of environmental goals."

Newly manufactured locomotives have better emissions controls, while initiatives such as Project Green Fleet's APU retrofits offer a great way to keep older engines running cleaner, he adds.

The Minnesota Environmental Initiative, which oversees Project Green Fleet, used federal stimulus dollars through a grant from the EPA to perform the work. Officials demonstrated the new technology on one of the locomotives this week in Hopkins.

Information on Project Green Fleet is available at www.projectgreenfleet.org.