GE to modernize locomotives for NS, CP

GE Transportation has completed the first of 100 locomotive modernizations for Norfolk Southern Railway in 2018 and has received an order to modernize 80 Canadian Pacific locomotives this year, the manufacturer announced yesterday.

In 2017, GE modernized 30 locomotives for CP.

So far this year, GE has secured 225 orders for locomotive modernizations.

The company's modernization program involves outfitting aging locomotives with customized solutions, such as upgraded control systems. Modernizations also may include converting locomotives from DC to AC traction.

The rehab work will be carried out at GE's 1-million-square-foot plant in Fort Worth, Texas, which is now the world's largest locomotive modernization facility, GE officials said in a press release.

"We've seen our modernization program grow 20 times since 2015," said Pascal Schweitzer, GE Transportation's vice president, services. "Over the last decade, GE has transformed more than 2,000 locomotives for customers worldwide, including for the majority of the Class 1 Railroads in North America as well as international customers."

Last year, many locomotive manufacturers observed steady demand for remanufacturing work as railroads' orders for new locomotives slowed down, as reported in Progressive Railroading's January 2018 issue.