Railway Association of Canada announces Environment Awards

The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) yesterday announced CN and Metrolinx as winners of the association's Environment Awards for 2019.

The Environment Awards are presented every two years with winners selected from RAC member submissions.

"Rail has long been one of Canada's greenest transportation modes and RAC members have made significant changes in recent years to further reduce their environmental footprint," said RAC President and Chief Executive Officer Marc Brazeau in a press release. "As a result, we had an array of projects of various descriptions to choose from for this year's awards; these two simply stood out in their respective categories."

CN was recognized in the Class I freight category for a pilot project designed to repurpose retired concrete ties for marine reef habitats at the railroad’s Prince Rupert water lot. CN converted the ties into 20 engineered reefs that provide food and cover for marine life.

The pilot was a locally led, employee-driven initiative, said Mitch Beekman, CN vice president of safety and environment.

"We are so tremendously pleased that after just a few months the reefs have already been colonized by rockfish, crabs and other marine species," Beekman said. "We hope to replicate and expand this success across our network to enhance and preserve aquatic ecosystems."

Meanwhile, the RAC recognized Metrolinx in the passenger-intercity, tourist commuter category for GO Transit's "Throttle Control Program," which used fuel consumption data to improve efficiency. The net effect reduced fuel consumption and lowered greenhouse gas emissions, RAC officials said.

"To this point, it's estimated that there has already been a fuel savings of 19 percent. Combined with another anti-idling initiative, [we] expect to save at least $2 million a year because of this program," said Greg Percy, Metrolinx’s chief operating officer.