CN has announced orders for 70 new locomotives from GE Transportation, a unit of General Electric Co. (GE), and Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. (EMD).
The railroad said it will acquire 35 4,400-horsepower ES44DC locomotives from GE starting in the fourth quarter of 2010 and 35 4,350-horsepower SD70M-2s from EMD beginning in January 2011.
The units are part of a multi-year locomotive-renewal program aimed at increasing fuel efficiency and reliability while reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.
CN said the new locomotives are 15-20 percent more fuel-efficient than those they will replace and will comply fully with the latest regulatory requirements for reduced locomotive exhaust emissions.
They will be equipped with distributed power capability, which enables remote control of a locomotive or locomotives by a lead control locomotive.