PITTSBURGH (AP) — One of the largest locomotive makers is selling more new battery-powered locomotives as railroad and mining companies work to reduce carbon emissions.
Rio Tinto has agreed to buy four new FLXdrive locomotives for its iron ore mining operations in Australia, Wabtec said on Monday, the largest order for a new model to date.Previously, the Pittsburgh-based company had only announced the sale of each locomotive to another Australian mining company and Canadian National Railway.
BNSF tested a battery-powered locomotive from Wabtec on a California railroad line last year, one of several pilot projects the railroad has announced to test alternative locomotive fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Both BNSF and Canadian Pacific Railroad have recently announced plans to test hydrogen-powered locomotives, and Canadian National Railway has said it will use the battery-powered locomotives it is purchasing to transport freight in Pennsylvania.Previously, major railways have also tried locomotives that rely on natural gas.
Locomotives are a major source of carbon emissions for railways, so they need to retrofit their fleets to meet their overall emissions reduction goals.But rail companies say it could be several years before they are ready for widespread use of locomotives using other fuels.
The new Wabtec locomotives will be delivered to Rio Tinto in 2023, enabling the miner to begin replacing some of the diesel-powered locomotives it currently uses.Wabtec did not disclose the price of the new battery-powered locomotive.