Metrolinx awards U.S. rail manufacturer $63M contract for low-emission locomotives
by Michael Ouellette
The locomotives ordered by Ontario's public transit agency will run engines that meet Tier 4 emission standards and will be built in Boise, Idaho.
WILMERDING, Penn.—Wilmerding, Penn.-based rail manufacturer Wabtec Corp. has won a $63-million contract to build 10 low-emission locomotives for Ontario’s public transit agency Metrolinx.
The locomotives will run engines that meet Tier 4 emission standards and will be designed and manufactured by Wabtec’s MotivePower division at its Boise, Idaho facility.
The locomotives are expected to be delivered in 2016.
Metrolinx, which is an agency of the Province of Ontario and the regional transportation authority for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
Metrolinx representative Mark Osler said in a phone call that the agency is pleased to be introducing Tier 4 locomotives to the system, and that these engines will meet the strictest standards set by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA.
“It was a competitive bid process and Motive Power Inc. won the competitive bid process,” Osler said.
The locomotives will include MotivePower’s Central Diagnostic System, which remotely and proactively identify maintenance and operational needs.
“As new environmental standards are phased in over the next several years, MotivePower is well positioned to participate in this market by offering environmental and operational performance upgrades for new and existing diesel-electric commuter locomotives throughout North America,” said Albert Neupaver, Wabtec’s chairman and CEO in a release.
Other Wabtec units will supply control systems, event recorders, brake shoes, aftercoolers and radiators for the locomotives.
The locomotives will be powered by two engines that meet Tier 4 emission standards, as set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
They emit about 85 per cent less diesel particulates and 75 per cent less NOx than current models.
The twin-engine solution provides for both redundancy of major systems and flexibility of operation during off-peak periods, where running just one of the two engines can provide significant fuel savings on shorter trains.
Metrolinx has previously signed a deal to repower 11 locomotives with the same configuration.
Wabtec Corp. manufactures and delivers products and services for the rail and transit industry. Through its subsidiaries, the company manufactures a range of products for locomotives, freight cars and passenger transit vehicles.
