Wabtec (NYSE: WAB) announced today that it has signed a
memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Carnegie Mellon University,
a top university in engineering, artificial intelligence, battery
technology, autonomy and robotics, which formalizes their joint aim
to create technologies that will decarbonize freight rail
transport, improve freight safety, and generate greater rail
network utilization. In addition, Wabtec announced an MOU with
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W), the largest owner of short
line and regional freight railroads, to pursue zero-emission
battery and hydrogen freight strategies, as well as increase rail
utilization across North America.
The announcements, which are based on a joint vision of building
a more sustainable freight transportation network, were made during
a ceremonial gathering on Carnegie Mellon’s campus, attended by
U.S. elected officials and Pittsburgh dignitaries. This vision
consists of two parts. One consists of powering locomotive fleets
with alternative energy sources, such as batteries, and eventually,
hydrogen fuel cells for a zero-emissions freight rail network
pilot. The second focuses on advancements to current signaling
systems and digital technologies to increase rail network capacity,
utilization and safety across the U.S.
To accelerate this effort, Carnegie Mellon University, Genesee
& Wyoming and Wabtec aspire to create the Freight Rail
Innovation Institute – the first-of-its-kind effort to create
zero-emission locomotives, develop technology that increases
freight rail utilization and improve safety by 50 percent, and
create 250,000 jobs by 2030.
“Pennsylvania has a long, proud history of railroads and
railroad manufacturing. Freight rail is also already a relatively
efficient means to move critical supplies around the country. This
effort helps tackle the climate crisis by prioritizing electric and
clean energy technology,” said U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA).
“Transportation and economic development remain among my top
priorities for our state. Today’s announcement will place
Pittsburgh – one of the leading science and technology hubs in the
world – at the center of efforts to address climate change through
transportation policy and will also spur significant job growth,
reduce greenhouse gas emissions dramatically and allow the U.S. to
lead internationally in creating zero-emission solutions for
rail.”
To maximize utilization across the nation’s mainline rail
network, which is the cleanest, safest and most efficient way to
move goods over land, Carnegie Mellon University will play a
leading role in developing the engineering technologies that bring
together the data, logistics and intelligence needed to optimize
rail operations, while reducing emissions.
“The time is right to accelerate the application of emerging
technologies to transform the rail industry,” said Farnam Jahanian,
President of Carnegie Mellon University. “Advances in digital
technologies and artificial intelligence will revolutionize freight
rail by driving dramatic improvements in safety and network
capacity, while simultaneously increasing efficiency across the
nation’s supply chain. As these emerging technologies converge with
clean energy breakthroughs, we also see a tremendous opportunity to
enable the decarbonization of freight rail. CMU looks forward to
bringing our research capabilities and our proven track record of
success with industry partners to this important effort.”
G&W’s Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad will pilot
technologies developed by the Freight Rail Innovation Institute,
including a zero-emissions battery and hydrogen-powered train that
is planned for revenue operation over 200 miles of track between
Pittsburgh and Buffalo, N.Y. within the next three years.
“While already the most environmentally friendly mode of surface
transportation, freight railroads have a critical role to play in
our nation’s decarbonization strategy,” said Jack Hellmann, CEO of
G&W. “Through this partnership, we plan to transform the next
generation of freight rail transportation by adopting advanced
technologies that can eliminate emissions and increase rail
utilization without requiring significant new rail infrastructure.
The end result will be a cleaner environment, more competitive
transportation for our nation’s industrial producers, and a freight
rail system that remains the most efficient in the world.”
Today’s gathering also featured the inaugural display of
Wabtec’s FLXdrive, the world’s first heavy-haul battery-electric
locomotive. Earlier this year, the FLXdrive demonstrated its
capabilities in revenue operations during a three-month pilot in
California, covering more than 13,000 miles of track. The FLXdrive,
operating at 2.4 megawatt hours, successfully reduced the overall
fuel consumption by more than 11 percent across the entire
locomotive consist — saving over 6,200 gallons of diesel fuel and
reducing approximately 69 tons of CO2 emissions. The second
generation of the FLXdrive locomotive, which is in development and
will operate at more than 7 megawatt hours, will reduce fuel
consumption by up to 30 percent across the train. Looking to the
future, Wabtec will accelerate the shift to alternative clean
energy solutions, through zero-emission hydrogen-powered
locomotives.
“This partnership with Carnegie Mellon University and Genesee
& Wyoming further strengthens our efforts to decarbonize global
rail transportation and will significantly increase freight rail
utilization, efficiency, and safety throughout the rail network,”
said Rafael Santana, President and CEO of Wabtec. “The
transportation sector is at a critical inflection point. With
technologies providing increased battery and hydrogen power
capacity, we have the potential to eliminate up to 120 million tons
of greenhouse gas emissions per year in North America.”
About Wabtec Wabtec Corporation (NYSE: WAB) is focused on
creating transportation solutions that move and improve the world.
The company is a leading global provider of equipment, systems,
digital solutions and value-added services for the freight and
transit rail industries, as well as the mining, marine and
industrial markets. Wabtec has been a leader in the rail industry
for over 150 years and has a vision to achieve a zero-emission rail
system in the U.S. and worldwide. For more information, visit
Wabtec at: www.WabtecCorp.com.
About Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon
University, cmu.edu, is a private, internationally ranked research
university with programs in areas ranging from science, technology
and business, to public policy, the humanities and the arts. More
than 14,000 students in the university's seven schools and colleges
benefit from a small student-to-faculty ratio and an education
characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions
for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and
innovation.
About Genesee & Wyoming G&W owns or leases 116
freight railroads organized in locally managed operating regions
with 7,300 employees serving 3,000 customers. G&W’s four North
American regions serve 42 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces
and include 113 short line and regional freight railroads with more
than 13,000 track-miles. G&W’s UK/Europe Region includes the
U.K.’s largest rail maritime intermodal operator and second-largest
freight rail provider, as well as regional rail services in
Continental Europe. G&W subsidiaries and joint ventures also
provide rail service at more than 30 major ports, rail-ferry
service between the U.S. Southeast and Mexico, transload services,
and industrial railcar switching and repair. For more information,
visit www.gwrr.com.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210910005114/en/
Deia Campanelli Wabtec deia.campanelli@wabtec.com or
773.297.0482
Sherry Stokes Carnegie Mellon University stokes@cmu.edu or
412.268.5976
Tom Ciuba Genesee & Wyoming Inc. tom.ciuba@gwrr.com or
203.202.8926
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