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Currently, railroads are operating inefficient legacy diesel locomotives with emissions substantially higher than proposed Tier 5 requirements that are costly to maintain. Reducing criteria pollutants is of critical importance because rail yards tend to be in areas where underserved populations have some of the poorest air quality. In this project, Gas Technology Institute (GTI), in collaboration with OptiFuel Systems, LLC, and other partners, is conducting a field demonstration of a 4,300 horsepower, Tier 5-compliant, hybrid line-haul locomotive that can operate on compressed or renewable natural gas (CNG/RNG) with near-zero emissions. GTI has a multi-engine approach that increases fuel efficiency by 20% and, with the use of RNG, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40%. The utilization of proven, commercially available equipment (i.e., engines, CNG storage, CNG refueling) and usage of domestic CNG and RNG has both emissions and cost advantages for the railroad industry.

For more information on this project, check the Technology Integration 2021 Annual Report or the Annual Merit Review presentation.