The order includes Tier 4 ET44ACs and Tier 3 ES44ACs (Tier 4 certified) locomotives to be equipped with GE’s GoLINC Platform, Trip Optimizer System and Distributed Power LOCOTROL eXpanded Architecture. The exact split of the new locomotives between ET44ACs and Tier 4 certified ES44ACs isn’t known at this time. Industry sources anticipate delivery to start in the third quarter of 2018.
The Tier 3 certified ES44ACs are built using emission credits General Electric has generated by using various energy saving equipment on its locomotives. A stipulation on using the credits is one Tier 4 locomotive must be built for every Tier 3 certified locomotive in the same calendar year.
“We are bullish on the North American economy and on our ability to compete and win new business with our superior service model,” says Luc Jobin, CN president and CEO. “In the years ahead, these GE Transportation locomotives and their digital technology will support and enhance our operational efficiency. We are proud to continue our partnership with GE Transportation and look forward to adding these units to our fleet as part of our commitment to operational and service excellence.”
The locomotives will be produced at the GE Manufacturing Solutions facility in Fort Worth, Texas, beginning in 2018. CN’s order is the largest among class I railroads since 2014. The first units are expected to be delivered in 2018 with the balance delivered in 2019 and 2020.
“CN’s steadfast commitment to serving the expanding needs of its customers across Canada and the United States is helping to turn around the North American locomotive market,” said Rafael Santana, GE Transportation’s CEO. “We are proud to partner with CN on this agreement to meet the needs of their future growth, and optimize and further digitize their freight rail operations.”
UPDATE: Additional information from sources close to the railroad. Dec. 22, 2017, 11:40 a.m. Central time.
By 2019 or 2020 whose name will be on the bullders plate if not GE???? THAT is is question.
Imagine that they need new equipment that can’t play into precision railroading Hunter must be spinning in his grave, precision railroading don’t mean growth it means running everything to the ground with no re guard for your employees, safety and customers only share price buying and maintaining equipment has no place in precision railroading maybe CN has woke up from the night mare of Hunters vision and is investing in to its future as a class 1 railroad unlike CSX at the present time that is in the full night mare of Hunter Harrison and all his cronies that are now running CSX into the ground with only one concern share price no investment into the future only how much they can get out of the company for the short term then leave thousands unemployed and the rail network in shambles.
Or, they’re building in Fort Worth because costs are significantly lower than in Erie, due in no small part to Texas’ right to work laws.
Anyone betting on when EMD Muncie plant shuts down?!
CN is forward thinking here. When they win the regulatory approval to acquire the sad scraps that are left of the former CSX, they will need to replace a lot of junk that railroad is currently running.
the sad part about this order , these locomotives should have been built at GE,s Erie plant which would have saved the jobs of hundreds of workers , they lay people off at a flip of a switch so the GE higher up,s get their big pay checks , at the expense of the hands on work force , I will not buy anything made with the G.E. name plate on it , and CN should go another manufacture .
Jer, CSX has no junk left. Most of the junk has just been spun off to GECX who is loaning it to the brainiacs at CN now as part of some nifty 200-unit order deal. Time for your Geritol with an Ensure chaser.
The rest of you, listen quietly!! Everybody hear that? That screaming is the CN shareholder who just woke up from a bad dream. They dreamed that EHH suddenly expired, and now they are being called upon to finance a huge infusion of new equipment that they were able to avoid for decades thanks to a previous leadership stint from Algorithm-boy.
EMD / CAT will never sell another loco in Canada. One reason is quality and another reason is political.
Hmmmm, ok now why did EMD close the factory in Canada?
At some point I wonder if EMD will stay in the locomotive business since their orders are few and far between. 200 locomotives is a large order in today’s environment of sluggish sales. I have to say that train watching is not as exciting as before with so many copycats of the same power dominating the market.
And on top of all the other, “What if’s”, and “What are they gonna do’s” . We get down to the fact that the current GE management, just short days back; announced they were going to jettison their Locomotive Operations, for a lack of cash flow from that division(?)… I guess in the scheme of things 200 locomotives, is not going to keep their lights on??? One has to wonder now which way GE goes???
Britt, they closed London to bring more jobs to Mindianaexico. Someone was making South America great again years before it became a kitschy political slogan.