NCDOT joins project to reduce train's environmental impact

The North Carolina Department of Transportation's (NCDOT) Rail Division will soon begin working with the North Carolina State University's Clean Fuel Advanced Technology Project and the N.C. Diesel Emissions Reduction Grant Program to reduce the environmental impact of NCDOT passenger trains.

The university's clean fuel project and North Carolina's grant program will enable NCDOT to equip one of its F59PH locomotives with a "selective catalytic reduction after-treatment system," NCDOT officials said in a press release.

The system is designed to significantly reduce particulate matter found in diesel engine exhaust, they said. If the project proves successful, the department plans to seek additional funding to upgrade all of its locomotives with the system.

Grants issued through the state's program are a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant that is administered by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Air Quality. The grant provides incentive funding for projects that are designed to reduce diesel emissions.