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The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) Rail Division recently commissioned a commuter locomotive that earlier this month entered service for the state’s daily Piedmont passenger-rail service. The newly refurbished locomotive replaces one that was damaged in a crash in Mebane last year.

The “City of Burlington” locomotive was painted to incorporate the colors and symbols of North Carolina’s state flag. NCDOT names each of its locomotives after cities located along the Piedmont corridor.
 
Amtrak’s Beech Grove Locomotive Shop in Indianapolis upgraded the 3,200-horsepower engine to meet the U.S. Environmental protection Agency’s Tier 0-plus emission standards. New head-end power generator systems were installed, as well. The work will extend the locomotive’s service life by 15 years, according to NCDOT. 
 
The cost to purchase and rebuild the locomotive totaled about $1.3 million, less than 30 percent of the cost for a new passenger locomotive, NCDOT officials said in a prepared statement.