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7/14/2023
Union Pacific Railroad and CN are collaborating to test a blend of renewable fuels on two Wabtec Corp. locomotives.
Stationary tests on the trains, which began in April, are akin to "running on a treadmill," UP officials said in the railroad's July 13 Inside Track newsletter. The locomotives operate 24/7 on renewable fuel without moving at an MxV Rail testing and training facility in Pueblo, Colorado.
Expected to wrap up by year's end, the tests will help determine the feasibility and efficiency of running renewable fuels on the locomotives. The goal is to establish that the renewable fuels will not impact the engine's reliability and will meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's goal emission requirements, UP officials said.
Both railroads are committed to science-based targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Additionally, UP and CN are the only Class Is that have committed to setting a 2050 net-zero emissions target.
“As we look to 2030 and beyond, decarbonizing rail transportation will need new locomotive propulsion technologies and collaboration across the whole rail industry will be required to make it happen,” said CN's Senior Director of Sustainability Francois Belanger.