The 5,000th Evolution Series Locomotive was delivered to the Union Pacific Railroad under the road number 7964. The locomotive will be featured in the Denver Post Cheyenne Frontier Days event that is part of the UP's 150th anniversary celebration.
Union Pacific Railroad's legendary steam locomotive No. 844 followed by GE Transportation's 5000th Evolution Series diesel electric locomotive will pull a special train for "Denver Post Cheyenne Frontier Days," as well as a fundraising special for the Cheyenne Depot Museum between Cheyenne, Wyo., and Denver, Colo. The excursions will celebrate railroad history and the heritage of Union Pacific.
Dick Hartman, Director of Public Affairs in Colorado and Wyoming of the Union Pacific Railroad said, "We are proud to continue to be a part the Frontier Days celebration by pulling such a historic passenger special with the legendary steam locomotive No. 844 along the northern Colorado Front range."
Lance Fritz, Executive Vice President of Operations of the Union Pacific Railroad said, "GE's 5000th Evolution Series Locomotive is helping Union Pacific extend beyond its first 150 years of hauling America's goods."
Lorenzo Simonelli, President and CEO of GE Transportation said, "The delivery of 5,000Evolution Series Locomotives is a historic milestone for GE Transportation. The Evolution Series Locomotive is GE's most successful global locomotive platform contributing to sustainable infrastructure growth around the world. The Evolution Series has significantly improved hauling capability while reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. We are also proud to share in this historical event with the Union Pacific Railroad to celebrate 150 years of rail service excellence in the United States."
GE's Evolution Series diesel locomotive is one of the company's most technologically advanced, fuel efficient, and low emissions engines to-date. It is also one of GE's most prominent ecomagination products. Ecomagination puts into practice GE's belief that resource efficiency and great economics can be integrated to accelerate growth while taking on some of the world's toughest environmental challenges.
GE's Evolution Series locomotive is designed to use 11 percent less fuel than the existing North American locomotive fleet average. This can avoid on average over 290 metric tons of CO2 emissions per locomotive per year, equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions of approximately 57 cars on US roads or planting nearly 75 acres of trees. This can also avoid on average 2.36 tons of Particulate Matter (PM) emissions per locomotive per year, equivalent to the annual PM emissions of approximately 87 single-unit trucks on US roads. Additionally, the Evolution Series can save over 500,000 gallons of diesel fuel over its lifetime.
The Evolution Series reduces emissions by more than approximately 40 percent compared to previous GE models. If every freight train in North America were pulled by an Evolution Series Locomotive, the annual reduction of smog-producing pollutants would be like removing 1.4 million cars from the road each year. One 12-cylinder Evolution Series Locomotive can pull the equivalent of 170 Boeing 747 jetliners.
