Part of the money, $14 million, is coming from funds that Illinois is receiving as part of the $2 billion legal settlement between the U.S. and Volkswagen over diesel emissions cheating. The rest of the money will come from Regional Transportation Authority bond funds, according to Lynette Ciavarella, Metra’s senior planning director.
Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski said Wednesday that the new locomotives will be the agency’s first units to meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 4 emissions standards. The remanufactured units will be Metra’s first Tier 3s.
The Tier 4 locomotives will need more fuel tanks and equipment, Derwinski said. The cleaner locomotives burn the same diesel fuel as other units but require a special additive.
Because of this extra equipment, the new locomotives would likely all be assigned to Metra’s Rock Island line, between La Salle Street Station and Joliet, Ill., Derwinski said.
Derwinski said there are currently three manufacturers of Tier 4 locomotives. There was no date set for issuance of a request for bids.
The remanufactured Tier 3 locomotives will be purchased from Progress Rail. Metra’s contract includes options to buy up to 27 additional locomotives, if funding is available.
Metra said Progress Rail will take existing EMD SD70MAC freight locomotives and upgrade and configure them for passenger use. All components will either be refurbished, upgraded, or new. The newly remanufactured locomotives will be designated as SD70MACH locomotives.
Metra said replacing 42 of its current locomotives that are rated Tier 0+ with 42 Tier 3 locomotives will eliminate 61 tons of nitrous oxide emissions annually — the equivalent to taking 6,600 cars off the road.
