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Yesterday, GE Transportation announced its GE Evolution Series™ locomotives now have logged 1 million miles while being tested in revenue service during the past year by Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific Railroad.

BNSF and UP are testing AC-traction units. Last month, Norfolk Southern Railway began analyzing a DC-traction version, bringing to 40 the total number of Evolution Series locomotives now undergoing revenue-service trials.

The Tier 2-compliant, 4,400 horsepower locomotives are designed to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new emission standards that take effect Jan. 1., reducing emissions more than 40 percent and fuel usage, about 3 percent, according to GE. The units feature GE's GEVO-12™ 12-cylinder diesel engine, which is designed to produce the same horsepower compared with 16-cylinder, 4,400 horsepower locomotives.

"The Evolution Series locomotives have exceeded even our expectations in reliability and performance, especially in demanding environments," said Steve Gray, GE Transportation vice president and general manager of engineering, in a prepared statement. "We will continue to aggressively test pre-production units throughout 2004 — focusing on accumulating operating hours in the toughest North American terrains — with the goal of introducing the most reliable product for our 2005 launch."