CPR showcases success in greenhouse gas reductions
22 Aprile 2005 - 4:30PM
PR Newswire (US)
CPR showcases success in greenhouse gas reductions CALGARY, April
22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Showcasing its commitment to the
environment during Earth Day 2005, Canadian Pacific Railway
outlined measures it has taken to address climate change and
greenhouse gas emissions as part of day-to-day operations. "As a
company that operates through about 900 communities in Canada and
the United States, we have a commitment to take care of past
practices, take aggressive steps to minimize present-day activities
and to implement leading-edge technology and practices to protect
the environment for the future," said Neal Foot, CPR's Senior
Vice-President of Operations. "Railways are part of the solution to
societal issues associated with traffic congestion, pollution and
the desire for continued economic growth. One train with two or
three locomotives can pull enough freight to take 300 trucks off
the highway." Notable CPR air emission reduction measures include
the following: - The addition of new high-powered, energy-efficient
AC traction road locomotives to its fleet of more than 1,600
locomotives - one of the youngest fleets in North America; -
Increased use of distributed power, which involves putting
locomotive units in the middle or rear of a train. The result has
been more fuel-efficient trains operated when distributed power is
used. - Majority of the locomotive fleet outfitted with fuel saving
devices, such as stop/start technology that automatically shuts
down and restarts locomotives within specified parameters -
reducing emissions and fuel consumption. - The recent purchase of
35 hybrid yard locomotives known as the Green Goat(R), which reduce
fuel consumption by up to 60 per cent and cut smog-causing oxides
of nitrogen (NOx) and diesel particulates by as much as 90 per
cent. Other measures taken by the railway to increase fuel
efficiency include operational changes and network restructuring,
track lubrication to reduce friction between wheels and rail, and
co-production/directional running agreements with other railways.
According to the Association of American Railroads (AAR), railroads
move one ton of freight an average of 405 miles on a single gallon
of diesel fuel - a 72 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency over
the past 25 years. "The transportation sector produces one-quarter
of all greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, but rail itself produces
less than four per cent of the transportation sector's
environmental air emissions, while hauling more than 60 per cent of
Canada's goods," said Foot. "CPR is continuing to explore more
technology to make our operations even greener." Foot said one area
that could help the railway take more aggressive steps to reduce
air emissions even further would be the elimination of fuel taxes
on the rail industry by federal and provincial governments. "Right
now, governments in Canada collect fuel tax from the railways and
place it into general revenues that can then be poured into highway
infrastructure improvements and expansion. Since governments don't
fund railway infrastructure, none of the railway fuel tax is put
back into our network. This policy has the effect of skewing
shipper choice to a transportation mode that is less
fuel-efficient. Eliminating railway fuel taxes would result in more
shippers choosing rail to move their goods, resulting in even
further reductions in greenhouse gases." Foot added that the United
States is phasing out railway fuel taxes and will eliminate them by
2007. Canadian Railways pay about $165 million in federal and
provincial fuel taxes every year. Provincial rail fuel tax rates
vary across Canada. Among the provinces in which CPR operates,
Saskatchewan has the highest fuel tax rate at 15 cents a litre and
Alberta has the lowest rate at 1.5 cents per litre. About CPR:
Canadian Pacific Railway is a transcontinental carrier operating in
Canada and the U.S. Its 14,000-mile rail network serves the
principal centres of Canada, from Montreal to Vancouver, and the
U.S. Northeast and Midwest regions. CPR feeds directly into
America's heartland from the East and West coasts. Alliances with
other carriers extend its market reach throughout the U.S. and into
Mexico. Canadian Pacific Logistics Solutions provides logistics and
supply chain expertise worldwide. For more information, visit CPR's
website at: http://www.cpr.ca/ . Media Availability/Photo
Opportunity: Today (April 22, 2005), 9:30 a.m. at the CPR Depot at
Gulf Canada Square in Calgary (Access off 9th Avenue at entrance to
Gulf Canada Square Parkade. Stay to right, don't proceed up parkade
ramp). Backgrounder
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CPR Locomotive Fleet - 1,642 Road freight locomotives - 1,124 Road
switchers - 269 Yard switchers - 260 All CPR locomotives meet or
exceed environmental standards set out by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. Locomotive Fleet Renewal In 1995, CPR began
investing heavily in new Alternating Current (AC) locomotives,
which improve overall fuel efficiency (approximately 18-20 per
cent) over traditional locomotives. As of December 31, 2004, CPR's
locomotive fleet included 582 AC locomotives, which represent
approximately 52 per cent of the road fleet, but handle about 70
per cent of CPR's workload. High-adhesion alternating current (AC)
locomotives are more fuel efficient and reliable and have superior
haulage capacity compared to standard direct current (DC)
locomotives. CPR also has the youngest road locomotive fleet of the
Class 1 railroads with an average age of only 15 years. In 1998,
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established emission
standards for nitrogen oxide, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide,
particulate matter and smoke for newly manufactured and
remanufactured diesel-powered locomotives and locomotive engines.
All of our newly purchased locomotives currently comply with the
EPA emission standards and all locomotives remanufactured for
service in the U.S. comply with these new standards. Locomotive
Shutdown Technology In cold operating conditions, locomotives must
idle continuously to avoid freezing. To reduce idling time, CPR is
retrofitting locomotives with automatic stop-start technology. This
technology automatically shuts down and restarts locomotives based
on a pre-defined set of parameters, effectively reducing fuel
consumption and air emissions. More than 60 per cent of the CPR
fleet is equipped with locomotive shutdown technology. Locomotive
Distributed Power In 2003, Canadian Pacific Railway became the
first railway in Canada to operate intermodal freight trains with
mid-train remote-control locomotives. During train operations, the
controls of locomotives at each position are linked through data
telemetry, giving the head-end crew full command at all times. The
design of CPR's new, high-power alternating current locomotives
allows them to be placed at the head-end and anywhere else in the
train. Placing a locomotive in a remote-control position
distributes tractive effort and produces performance benefits not
unlike those of all-wheel drive in a highway passenger vehicle. It
also boosts air pressure to ensure sufficient braking power along
the entire length of the train in freezing temperatures. Hybrid
Yard Switcher - Green Goat(R) Powered by batteries that are charged
by a small diesel genset, the Green Goat(R) is significantly
quieter than diesel locomotives. It meets the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's Tier 2 standards for particulate matter in
exhaust emissions, which came into force in 2005. RailPower
Technologies said its Green Goat(R) reduces smog-causing oxides of
nitrogen (NOx) and diesel particulates by as much as 90 per cent,
compared with conventional yard locomotives. Locomotive Emissions
Monitoring (LEM) Program CPR participates in the Railway
Association of Canada (RAC) and Environment Canada memorandum of
understanding regarding locomotive emissions. The RAC submits an
annual report to Environment Canada on emissions of exhaust gases
from locomotives used in rail transportation services in Canada.
The LEM program monitors nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from
Canadian rail carriers against an annual voluntary cap of 115
kilotonnes of NOx. The program also monitors emissions of carbon
monoxide, particulate matter, carbon dioxide and sulphur oxides.
The LEM program results reflect continual reduction of fuel
consumption and emissions. The 2002 LEM report states that emission
levels from the rail industry are 0.5 per cent below 1990 levels
despite an overall business growth of 28 per cent. CPR's emissions
are approximately 2.8 per cent below 1990 levels despite a 31 per
cent increase in gross-ton miles in the same period. Charts
available on CPR's website at http://www.cpr.ca/. DATASOURCE:
Canadian Pacific Railway CONTACT: Ed Greenberg, Tel.: (403)
319-3686, Cell: (403) 540-8106,
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