Pacific National’s first 94 Class locomotive has railed into Perth from Melbourne, successfully traversing the longest leg on the country’s intermodal freight network.
Pacific National is investing more than $350 million, commissioning a fleet of 50 new 94 Class locomotives to reduce emissions on its services by an estimated six to ten per cent.
The new locomotives will be deployed to move 1500 to 1800 metre-long container trains around the country.
Brett Grehan, Chief Executive Officer of Pacific National, said the new fuel-efficient locomotives were designed and built in Australia by UGL in partnership with Wabtec Corporation.
“The 94 Class locomotives are the first of its kind for domestic freight in Australia – the most technologically advanced, fuel-efficient, and environmentally compatible diesel locomotives in the country,” said Grehan.
“We will be rolling out these locomotives along our long intermodal routes, particularly the east- west corridor, to improve fleet efficiency and support our decarbonisation strategy.
“They’re Australian-made, supporting local rail manufacturing jobs in the regions, and they’ve been specifically designed to meet Australia’s harsh operating conditions.”
Cramer Ball, Group Executive of Intermodal, said moving freight on a train already emits up to 80 per cent less emissions on average than a truck per tonne of freight carried.
“These new generation trains promise to drive down emissions even further – extending Pacific National’s carbon emissions advantage for our customers,” said Ball.
“We’re also using Trip Optimizer, newly introduced technology to further enhance fuel efficiency, reduce emissions, improve train handling, boost reliability and shrink our operational carbon footprint.
“The technology solution controls and manages locomotive throttle and dynamic brakes to optimise fuel consumption and make our trains operate as efficiently as possible, giving customers confidence their freight is being moved sustainably and efficiently.”
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