In a global business push for lower carbon footprints, even locomotives are going green.

With the introduction of a new N-ViroMotive GenSet locomotive at its Vancouver Pacific Grain Terminal, Regina-based Viterra is finding that heading down the environmental track is providing a series of benefits in addition to the expected lower greenhouse gas emissions.

"It's operationally way more efficient," says Peter Idema, manager of terminal engineering and maintenance systems for Viterra, Canada's largest grain handler. "And while one locomotive is not going to make a huge difference in a city the size of Vancouver, it's a way of exposing the technology to other users within the Lower Mainland."

That technology is rolling out impressive credentials, according to Idema.

Photo courtesy of Viterra

Viterra's N-ViroMotive GenSet locomotive is turning heads.

The N-ViroMotive locomotive, from National Railway Equipment Co. (NREC), based in Mt. Vernon, Ill., is expected to reduce nitrous oxide (NOx) and particulate matter by at least 80 percent, improve tractive (pulling) efficiency by at least 65 percent, realize fuel savings of 40-65 percent and decrease maintenance requirements. It also has much lower noise levels compared to traditional four- and six-axle locomotives.

"Though we knew this engine was a big fuel saver with extremely low emissions, we were astonished at its tractive effort," adds Bill Mooney, senior vice-president of livestock and feed services for Viterra. "While using only one of the NREC locomotive's two GenSets (700-horsepower engines), we could pull 28 loaded grain cars at a time from the staging tracks over a railroad grade crossing to our elevators, versus only 12 cars when using our 1,200-HP unit."

Because of the layout of the Pacific Terminal, a specialty grains terminal that primarily handles peas and canola for a variety of countries including India, Japanese markets and the Far East, it has to move (shunt) rail cars from one part of the facility to another. "With the new locomotive, it has dramatically reduced the number of times we interfere with port road traffic," says Idema.

But going green is not necessarily cheap. With all costs considered, the engine is priced at more than $1 million. However, timing has proved to be on Viterra's side, allowing it to take advantage of Ottawa's Freight Technology Incentives Program, part of Transport Canada's ecoFREIGHT program designed to encourage the use of innovative environmental technologies in the freight transportation sector by reducing cost barriers to new technologies.

Viterra applied for and received $490,750 under Round 1 of the ecoFREIGHT program, which saw 15 projects awarded $3.7 million. A second round of funding is also underway with the successful projects expected to be announced shortly.

The ecoFREIGHT program started April 1, 2007, and is scheduled to end on March 31, 2011.

There is no limit on the number of projects that can be funded per round, according to Transport Canada spokeswoman Maryse Durette, but funding is limited to a maximum of $500,000 for any given project. Companies are eligible to receive a total of $1.5 million during the lifecycle of the Freight Technology Incentives Program.

"We knew we had to come up with a longer-term solution and figure out how we wanted to handle the rail-yard operations at the Pacific Grain Terminal," says Idema. "We knew it was incumbent on us as operators to look at an opportunity to reduce our carbon footprint, the locomotive being a large carbon generator."

Now, the eco-friendly locomotive is drawing interest from those who have seen it in operation at Viterra's Vancouver facility.

Idema knows of one company taking delivery of a three-engine unit from the same manufacturer. Others are seriously kicking the tires.

"It's about the exposure of the technology and from that perspective, Transport Canada's objectives are being met," says Idema.

As for additional N-ViroMotive acquisitions by Viterra, Idema says the Vancouver purchase was appropriate for that particular business situation.

"There are unique challenges in the way the Pacific Terminal is laid out," he says. "To say we would apply this solution across the country is probably unlikely, but having said that, almost all the technology the company is employing uses fuel-efficient diesel engines."

(Laura Severs can be reached at laura@businessedge.ca)