Last week, Albany Port Railroad celebrated the arrival of its newest locomotive #2502 with NYS Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez and dignitaries from throughout the region.
In Governor Kathy Hochul’s announcement, Albany Port Railroad was one of 25 projects that received a total of $101 million investment in New York’s port and freight rail infrastructure under the state’s Passenger and Freight Rail Assistance Program (PFRAP). The funding for Port Railroad helped to offset cost increases for its Tier 4-compliant switch locomotive, replacing its current Tier 0 unit.
“Think of this new engine like a hot rod. We took the body of a 1970s locomotive and put in all new and some refurbished parts making this 1500 HP engine the most compliant and environmentally friendly diesel burning engine used on the railroad today,” said Albany Port Railroad General Manager John Gaylord III. “Thank you to Governor Hochul and New York State Transportation Commissioner Dominguez for this critical support.”
With a Cummins-built 1500hp engine (EPA-certified QST30), this locomotive is quieter and more environmentally-friendly in keeping with Green Marine guidelines, and will reduce NOx emissions by 90%, decrease of fuel consumption by 15%, and increase in tractive effort and adhesion by 20-20%…