The efforts also are expected to reduce carbon emissions by 350 tons per locomotive per year. That adds up to 210,000 tons of carbon emissions avoided annually, which is the equivalent of removing nearly 45,000 passenger cars from the road each year, according to UP.
Such emissions reductions will help UP move closer to its target to reduce scope 1 (direct) and scope 2 (indirect) greenhouse gas emissions by 26% by 2030, using 2018 as a baseline. The company aims to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
The main cab of a UP locomotive is being modernized in Wabtec’s Fort Worth, Texas plant (Photo: Wabtec)
About 70,000 tons of steel will be reused and recycled, which represents more than half of the locomotives’ weight and supports a circular economy.
The deal is the third major order Wabtec has received from UP for locomotive modernization since 2018. More than 1,030 locomotives will be modernized by the end of 2025. The deliveries of the 600 modernized engines are expected to begin in 2023.
