At its Avon Yard in the Town of Avon, Ind., CSX Transportation (CSXT) unveiled two ultra low-emission GenSet locomotives, which can reduce nitrous oxide and particulate matter emissions by 80 percent, carbon dioxide emissions by up to 50 percent, and switch to a sleep mode after a period of inactivity.
CSXT's entire fleet of GenSet locomotives, including the two locomotives at the Avon Yard, were retrofitted by National Railway Equipment Company, utilizing engines manufactured by the Indiana-based company, Cummins Engine Company, Inc.
The GenSet locomotives were retrofitted through joint funding from CSXT and the Federal Congestion, Mitigation, and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) fund. The Town of Avon applied for funding on behalf of CSXT, and funds were allotted to the states and administered by the State of Indiana.
Since 2000, CSXT has invested more than $1 billion to upgrade its locomotive fleet with technology that reduces fuel consumption and air pollution, improving its fuel efficiency by approximately 90 percent since 1980. By the end of 2009, 1,200 CSXT locomotives will be upgraded to further reduce emissions and lower fuel consumption by nearly 10 million gallons.