Diesel locomotives running between Calgary and Edmonton will be the first in Canada to try providing cold-weather rail service while running on biodiesel, Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) says.
During a five-month test cycle that started early this month, CPR plans to operate four General Electric AC4400 locomotives with FDL-16 engines in “captive service” between the two cities.
GE and Calgary-based fuel supplier 4Refuels are co-operating with CPR during this testing phase, which is to run through the end of March, the railway said Friday.
The federal natural resources department will invest over $800,000 in the pilot project through the National Renewable Diesel Demonstration Initiative, Calgary MP Lee Richardson said in CPR’s release.
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“Rail is already the most efficient means to move goods long-haul,” CPR CEO Fred Green said in the same release. “This initiative positions (CPR) to make a lasting impact by further reducing our network’s environmental footprint.”
As well, the partnership with Ottawa is “an opportunity to test the reliability of biodiesel in cold weather, ensuring we continue to provide safe and efficient operations for customers across North America,” he said.
CPR said it will undertake “routine detailed mechanical examinations” of the locomotives in the pilot project. The information gathered will be used to determine if a biodiesel mixture of five per cent (B5) has any “significant “adverse effects on a locomotive or its associated systems in cold-climate operation.
“Impact to reliability, potential changes to the overhaul or maintenance work scope and reviews of specific components on the locomotives will also be monitored,” Calgary-based CPR said.
