b'12American Journal ofTransportation ajot.com(TRACKcontinued fromIt would generate sub- Wabtecs path to greener railpage 2) stantiallongtermrevenue remainpoweredbydieselfor railroads, and it could be locomotives, 24,000 of whichdonewithoutjeopardizingWabtecs FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive engines might be the begin-ply American rail.the safety or operations andning of an answer on how railroads can reduce their carbon footprint. To put it another way, thecommunications of the rail-US boasts a rail network ofroads,Hoeckerexplained.By Matt Miller, AJOTabout140,000miles.Elec- In the process, he continued, trifyingthatnetworkwouldhaving those electric facili- LocomotivemanufacturerWabtecCorp.tery-electricengineprobablythebiggest cost an estimated$7 millionties close at hand offers theis helping to carve one path to a greener futuretechnology change since AC current was intro-per track mile or a stunningpossibility that at some pointforrail-carriedfreight.Unveiledabouttwoduced to the locomotives in the 80s.$980 billion. [railroads] could tap into thatyears ago, Wabtecs FLXdrive battery-electricIn addition to Wabtec, Caterpillars Pro-Americanrailsalmostpower and use that as theirlocomotive engine is very slowly picking upgressiveRailalsomakesabattery-electric total dependence on diesel ismode of energy as opposedsteam, as freight trains and heavy haul carrierslocomotive. a function of geography, his- to diesel. alike grapple with ways to reduce their carbonBoth are designed to be used primarily in tory,andeconomics.FromBecauseonshorewindfootprint,havingbeendependentespe- tandem with diesel locomotives. That means thebeginning,railroads,and solar generation is oftencially in the Americason diesel power andtheycancutconsumptionoffossilfueland tracks,andbridgesinthelocatedinremotelocations,fossil fuel.lower greenhouse gasses for freight trains, but US have been privately heldaccess to electricity wouldntVale, the Brazilian resources behemoth, isnot remove them completely.andprivatelymaintained.be an issue. the latest operator to order FLXdrive engines.Thisishybridtechnology,morePrius This stands in stark contrastHoecker believes an incre- In July, it announced a deal to purchase threethan Tesla. In its current iteration, one FLX-toEuropeandAsia,wheremental approach to rail elec- batterylocomotivestocarryironorealongdrive locomotive typically replaces a diesel governmentsowntherailtrificationispossible,andaspecific,140-kilometerroute. Wabtecwillengine in a three diesel-engine configuration networks, and could shoulderthat it isnt all or nothing. Hemanufacturetheenginesatitsplantinthefor long haul.thehighercostofelectrifi- citesEurope,whichoffersBrazilian state of Mines Gerais, with deliveryBattery-poweredtrainscanbeusedfor cation,comparedtodiesel.flexible use of shared track,expected in 2026. switching and yards. According to Mendonca, Then,therearetheenor- as one model. In an interview with American Journal ofhiscompanyenvisionssomeall-battery-mousexpansesofUSland(TRACKcontinued onTransportation, Rogerio Mendonca, Wabtecspowered trains can be used in what he called desert,plains,mountainspage 18) president,freightequipment,calledthebat- (GREENERcontinued on page 19)withlittle,ifanyother needforelectricity.There are a lot of places where you justcantgettheelectricity thatyouwouldneedtobe abletorunthefreightlines that we run, said the official.Addtoallthisthecost ofreplacinglocomotives.A dieselengine,whichthese dayscostsabout$3million to$4millionapop,hasanNo dwell effective lifespan of 30 to 40 years.Plus,manylocomo-tives are rebuilt and installed withupgradedenginesortime.other systems. Railroads are loathe to mothball assets they see as perfectly useable, and theres no financial incentiveJust on for them to do so.They are definitely risk averse, said James Hoecker, an energy lawyer with Huschtime. Blackwell and a former chair of the Federal Energy Regu-latoryCommission(FERC). Electrification, once it occurs, couldhavemajoradvantages bothintermsofcostsandWelcome to done.operations for them. But get-ting there is a tough sell.Hoecker continued: Clearly the showstopper for them is the cost of investing in infrastruc-ture to support electrification. No Dwell Time. Just On Time American Journal of Transportation 8x 10 .125 08/16/22Title:Pub:Trim Size:Job #:Colors: Bleed Size:Close Date: We move fast. And we go further for you. The Port of Wilmington connects you to the Midwest region via the Wilmington Midwest Express in as little as five days. And we offer competitive rates, efficient 20077-NCP_JustOnTime_AJOT_Print_8X10_k1 NC Ports 20077 InDesign CC 4Con-port operation and a standard of service you wont find anywhere else. Welcome to the port where fast is just the beginning. James Hoecker, Husch BlackwellHowever,Hoecker,for one,believesthattheques-tionofrailelectrificationFile Name: Client: App: isntnecessarilyacompletenonstarter.Heco-founded the Rail Electrification Coun-cil in 2020. One goal of the council is to explore the use800.213.4430 // NCPorts.comof railroad assets, particularly rail right-of-way, to help with next-generationhigh-voltage transmission lines. 22031_20077-NCP_JustOnTime_AJOT_Print_8x10_k1.indd 1 8/16/22 2:37 PM'