BRAZIL: Wabtec is to deliver batches of ES44ACi diesel heavy freight locomotives to Rumo, Suzano and MRS in late March and early April.
Rumo has ordered five of the locos, Suzano has ordered 17 which will be operated by Rumo, and MRS has ordered three.
The locos are expected to have fuel consumption and emissions more than 5% lower than their predecessors, with the use of high-strength materials improving reliability and extending maintenance intervals by 28%, lowering life-cycle costs.
‘The ES44ACi locomotive features the Evolution Series diesel engine, producing the same 4 500 hp with just 12 cylinders compared to its predecessor the 16-cylinder FDL engine’, said Daniela Ornelas, Vice-President of Products at Wabtec.
‘This represents greater energy efficiency and lower emissions, thanks to a project aimed at the thermal efficiency of combustion combined with a dual-intake air cooling system adopted in these four-stroke turbocharged engines equipped with electronic fuel injection.’
Rumo director Marcus Rogério Vianna Jorge said ‘our priority is to promote an increasingly sustainable operation, not only in the economic aspect, but also in the social and environmental aspects. With the constant renewal of the fleet, we have gained in efficiency in the flow of agricultural and industrial loads, in addition to contributing significantly to the reduction of emissions.’
Anelise Salzani, General Manager of Maintenance Engineering at MRS, said the company had been ‘investing heavily in expanding its fleet to contribute even more efficiency to the national logistics system’, generating gains in energy efficiency; and the ES44ACi ‘incorporates two pillars of the company: the search for more productivity and the reduction of emissions’.
