Union Pacific Tests Battery-Electric Locomotives Across Southern California
Union Pacific begins battery-electric locomotive testing in Southern California
Union Pacific has begun testing two battery-electric locomotives in Southern California, bringing diesel-alternative power into one of the busiest and most demanding freight regions in the United States.
The two locomotives, built by Wabtec, are the first units delivered under Union Pacific’s four-locomotive FLXdrive order. The railroad said the remaining two locomotives are scheduled to arrive in October. Once all four are in service, they will operate in the greater Los Angeles area.
Union Pacific plans to use the battery-electric locomotives in switching and local-customer operations. That work will place the units in daily service around railyards and freight facilities, where locomotives repeatedly accelerate, brake and idle while moving railcars between tracks, customers and trains.
The testing program is intended to give Union Pacific practical operating data. The railroad said it will evaluate the locomotives’ performance, reliability and operating capabilities in regular freight service rather than in a limited demonstration setting.
Each Wabtec FLXdrive locomotive stores approximately 2.7 megawatt-hours of energy in a battery system containing about 7,000 cells, according to Union Pacific. The locomotives are designed to perform railroad work using stored electrical power instead of relying solely on a conventional diesel engine.
“Testing technologies like battery-electric locomotives help us to better understand what’s possible by putting these emerging technologies to work in actual railroad operations,” Union Pacific Chief Executive Jim Vena said in the announcement.
For railroad and trucking professionals working around Southern California freight hubs, the location of the test is significant. The region includes large rail yards, local freight operations and port-related supply chains. Those conditions create a demanding environment for equipment because terminal assignments can involve frequent starts and stops, extended periods of idling and repeated switching movements.
Battery-electric equipment must also be supported by charging infrastructure. The locomotives will need access to charging equipment capable of replenishing their batteries between assignments or during scheduled operating windows. The ability to provide that power is an important part of determining how the technology fits into daily railroad operations.
Josh Raglin, chief sustainability officer at Norfolk Southern, raised the issue of electrical capacity in a LinkedIn post. He said battery power will prove viable only if the local grid can support charging, adding that each locomotive charger requires the energy equivalent of 83 Tesla fast chargers. Raglin also said hybrid equipment may be a better option in some cases because it can operate with or without charging.
Those comments underscore that replacing diesel power involves more than the locomotive itself. Railroads must consider charging capacity, facility design, operating schedules and the type of work assigned to each unit. Switching and local service may offer useful conditions for testing because locomotives often work within defined areas and may have more predictable opportunities to recharge.
Wabtec Chairman and CEO Rafael Santana said operating the FLXdrive locomotives in daily Union Pacific service would provide real-world information needed to refine the technology and assess its potential for broader use.
Union Pacific described the program as part of its effort to modernize operations, improve efficiency and examine technologies that could reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. The railroad operates across 23 western states and serves nearly 7,300 communities, giving it a wide range of operating conditions in which alternative power technologies could eventually be evaluated.
Alternative propulsion remains limited in commercial freight rail service in the United States. Diesel locomotives continue to handle most long-distance and heavy-haul work, while battery-electric and other technologies are still being tested for specific assignments.
For drivers and other workers who operate around rail terminals, the immediate effect of Union Pacific’s program will likely be concentrated in the Los Angeles area and in the railroad’s switching and local-customer movements. The test does not represent a systemwide change in Union Pacific’s locomotive fleet. Instead, it is a field evaluation designed to determine how battery-electric units perform under routine freight conditions.
The data collected during the program will help show where battery-electric locomotives can operate reliably, how charging fits into railroad schedules and which types of assignments are best suited to the technology. Those findings will be relevant not only to Union Pacific and Wabtec, but also to freight carriers and terminal operators assessing how alternative power could fit into busy transportation networks.
