USA: Class I railroad Norfolk Southern Corp is to convert two diesel prime movers to hybrid operation through a partnership with Alstom.
The initiative will see hybrid powertrains developed by Alstom and used on European rolling stock deployed in north America for the first time, according to NS. The two 50 year old EMD GP38/40 four-axle diesel locos will be stripped back to the underframe, before being rebuilt with hybrid power units. Batteries will provide primary propulsion while a smaller Tier 4 diesel engine will run only when needed to charge them.
The modular design will allow the propulsion systems to be upgraded or replaced as battery and engine technology advances, NS said.
The finished locomotives will deliver quieter, lower-emission operations with an estimated 90% fewer emissions and 30% greater haulage capacity than conventional diesel locos, NS added. Alstom will lead the design and assembly of the hybrid locomotives at its Kanona works in New York state.
The project is being funded through a Consolidated Rail Infrastructure & Safety Improvements grant from the Federal Railroad Administration, as well as support from the Steuben County’s Industrial Development Agency in New York State and Binghamton University’s New Energy New York consortium.
‘Rail is already the most sustainable mode of land transportation, and these hybrid conversions will deliver quieter, cleaner rail options’, said NS Chief Sustainability Officer Josh Raglin when the project was launched on November 12. ‘Thanks to the FRA’s CRISI grant and strong support from Alstom, Steuben County IDA, and NENY, we’re charting a path to deliver a better product for our customers and better experience for the communities where Norfolk Southern operates.’
NS has previously tested a rebuilt GP38 loco fitted with traction batteries as part of a research programme launched with Pennsylvania State University in 2008 trialling hybrid shunting and light main line locos. The converted locomotive, known as NS 999, was sold to Rail Propulsions Systems in November 2019 and has since been used on trip freight duties around Los Angeles.
An in-depth feature on Norfolk Southern’s decarbonisation trials appeared in the September 2011 edition of Railway Gazette International. This is available for subscribers to read in our digital archive.
