By Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor
As part of an ongoing effort to pioneer new technologies that promise to improve service and reduce emissions, CSX recently became the first railroad to test Wabtec Corp.’s Zero-to-Zero Trip Optimizer system.
Trains equipped with the system can start from 0 mph and stop automatically via intelligent controls, ultimately helping to save fuel and improve operations, CSX officials said in a Tweet. The system is designed to automatically start a train at 0 mph and stop it at 0 mph using air-brake control and signal-aspect information.
A number of years ago, Wabtec developed Trip Optimizer as a cruise-control system that takes into account terrain, train make-up, speed restrictions and operating conditions to calculate an optimum speed profile. The system then automatically controls locomotive throttle and dynamic brakes to reduce fuel burn and foster more efficient train handling.
Last year, CSX and Wabtec partnered to begin modernizing the Class I’s locomotives and implement advanced digital technologies at the railroad to boost fuel efficiency and cut emissions, including the Zero-to-Zero Trip Optimizer system. CSX aims to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions intensity 37% by 2030.
The Class I also plans to revitalize its yard fleet with Wabtec’s Tier 4 switchers —which offer a 20% improvement in fuel efficiency and 90% reduction in emissions — and modernize the road locomotive fleet with the supplier’s FDL Advantage engine upgrade.
In the video below, CSX officials discuss the reasons the Class I is demonstrating the Zero-to-Zero Trip Optimizer system and the benefits the railroad already has gained by using Wabtec’s Trip Optimizer for several years.
Video courtesy of CSX
