UK: DB Schenker Rail UK is to fit Auto Engine Stop-Start technology supplied by ZTR to 90 of its Electro-Motive Diesel Class 66 locomotives by the end of 2015.
Announcing the decision on October 1, the freight operator said trials undertaken since February had found that the amount of time the engine was running was reduced by approximately one third with AESS, and CO2 emissions by more than 50 tonnes. DB Schenker also expects AESS to improve reliability, reducing the number of flat batteries and the potential for locos to freeze in cold weather.
‘The Auto Engine Stop Start technology provides huge opportunities to improve the environment impact of rail freight’, said Andrew Byrne, Head of Maintenance & Infrastructure at DB Schenker Rail (UK). ‘Although rail freight is a more environmentally friendly mode of transport solution than road, we continuously seek to find ways in which the impact of rail freight can be reduced further. We aspire to become an eco-pioneer, and this project is a key part of that strategy.’
