Union Pacific Railroad recently upgraded its fleet of 4,950 refrigerated box cars to make the rolling stock more environmentally friendly and comply with California Air Resources Board (CARB) standards that take effect July 17.
During the past two years, the railroad has spent about $18 million to improve the cars. Since January, the Class I installed new diesel refrigeration units — which are designed to reduce diesel particulate emissions by 50 percent vs. previous refrigeration units — on more than 700 box cars.
The cars also feature Global Positioning Satellite monitoring devices to track a trip’s progress and monitor temperature, fresh-air exchange and diagnostics.
Meanwhile, UP also recently donated a new locomotive to the San Antonio Fire Department Training Academy to help train local firefighters on proper railway safety. In the past, the railroad has donated a number of different rail cars to the academy.
Source: Progressive Railroading Daily News
