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5/17/2021
Wabtec Corp. announced today its FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive delivered more than an 11% average reduction in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions for an entire train. The outcomes are the result of a three-month pilot with BNSF Railway Co., where the FLXdrive, the world’s first 100% battery locomotive, was put to the test in revenue service across more than 13,320 miles of hilly terrain in San Joaquin Valley, California. The region is classified as a non-attainment area, where the air quality is worse than the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The California pilot program was part of a $22.6 million grant from the California Air Resource Board awarded to Wabtec, BNSF and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. The battery locomotive charged at the rail yard and recharged during the trip through regenerative braking. The FLXdrive manages the overall train energy flow and distribution through its Trip Optimizer system. Wabtec’s next step is to build a second-generation locomotive with a battery capacity of more than 6 megawatt hours, a level of energy that can reduce a locomotive consist’s fuel consumption and carbon emissions by up to 30%.
Ohio Intermodal Services (OIS), a member of the IMC Cos., recently acquired a 23-acre property in Hillard, Ohio, from The Stewart Corp., which owns TransInternational System. Focused on providing container drayage for clients in the Ohio Valley, OIS will operate on 10 acres of the property and sublease the remaining 13 acres to TRAC Intermodal. While the property is currently a shared-lease facility between OIS and TRAC Intermodal, it eventually will become the location of OIS corporate offices.