Published: July 09, 2009
Canadian Pacific Selects GE Transportation's Trip Optimizer for Significant Locomotive Fuel Savings
ERIE, Pa. - (BUSINESS WIRE) - GE Transportation announced today that it has been awarded a contract by
Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (TSX:CP)(NYSE:CP) to equip 200
locomotives with its Trip Optimizer fuel savings product.
Trip Optimizer, a product of EcomaginationSM, is an advanced
energy management system that optimizes fuel consumption based on a
specific train's makeup and the route being traveled. The system
calculates a fuel optimal speed profile for the trip and then
automatically controls the throttle to maintain that planned speed. Trip
Optimizer uses GPS, a digital track database and advanced algorithms
that automatically learn the train's characteristics throughout the trip
to achieve the fuel savings. The system evaluates train length, weight,
grade, track conditions, weather and locomotive performance to calculate
the most efficient way of running the train while maintaining smooth
train handling. Operation of Trip Optimizer is similar to the autopilot
feature in today's jetliners. Train crews retain responsibility for safe
operation of the train and can engage or disengage the system at any
time.
Trip Optimizer was tested on 18 CP-owned GE Evolution Series
locomotives. The pilot testing was conducted in three subdivisions that
have significantly different geographical characteristics including
mountainous regions in British Columbia, the Saskatchewan prairies and
undulating, winding track in Northern Ontario. More than 500 train
starts and 50,000 revenue miles were accumulated during the test.
"Results measured by CP on intermodal freight of various train lengths
have shown a fuel savings ranging from 6% to more than 10% depending on
territory," said Pierre Comte, President GE Transportation Intelligent
Control Systems. "After years of research and a considerable investment,
we're proud to work with CP to launch this groundbreaking product. Trip
Optimizer is proving to be the future of fuel conservation and resulting
emissions reductions for railroads around the world."
Trip Optimizer can be deployed fleet wide today on GE Evolution Series
Locomotives as a turnkey system. The product can also be combined with a
full suite of fuel savings products from GE, including LOCOTROL
Distributed Power, for more savings. Additional versions of Trip
Optimizer for use on other locomotive types will be available beginning
in 2010. Currently, other pilots are being conducted in various global
regions including bulk commodity testing that is showing even greater
fuel savings. If every train in North America used Trip Optimizer it
would save approximately 630 million gallons of fuel per year, the
equivalent of eliminating more than one million cars from the road.
More than 3200 Evolution locomotives are currently operating in the
United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, China, Mongolia, Australia,
Kazakhstan and Egypt, and approximately 17,000 GE locomotives are in use
in more than 50 countries around the world.
Ecomagination is a GE-wide initiative to help meet customer demand for
more energy-efficient products while generating profitable growth for
the company.
About GE Transportation
Established more than 100 years ago, GE Transportation, a unit of
General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), is a global technology leader and
supplier to the railroad, marine, drilling, mining and wind industries.
GE provides freight and passenger locomotives, railway signaling and
communications systems, information technology solutions, marine
engines, motorized drive systems for mining trucks and drills,
high-quality replacement parts and value added services. GE
Transportation is headquartered in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA, and employs
approximately 10,000 employees worldwide. For more information visit www.getransportation.com.
About Canadian Pacific
Canadian Pacific, through the ingenuity of its employees located across
Canada and in the United States, remains committed to being the safest,
most fluid railway in North America. Our people are the key to
delivering innovative transportation solutions to our customers and to
ensure the safe operation of our trains through the more than 900
communities where we operate. Canadian Pacific is proud to be the
official rail freight services provider for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic
and Paralympic Winter Games.
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GE Transportation
Chris Banocy, 814-875-2099
chris.banocy@ge.com
or
Stephan
Koller, 814-875-3457 (office)
stephan.koller@ge.com
OR
Canadian
Pacific
Mike LoVecchio, 778-772-9636
mike_lovecchio@cpr.ca
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