Union Pacific has greener
produce delivery on track
Jun 15, 2009 8:21 AM
Union Pacific Railroad’s refrigerated boxcar fleet has been known for its ability to deliver fresh produce. The railroad now is delivering “greener” produce, too.
The railroad’s entire fleet of 4,950 refrigerated railcars is more environmentally friendly than ever and is compliant with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) standards that take effect July 17. In addition, the company has invested approximately $18 million in its refrigerated boxcars the past two years so these cars will continue to meet CARB compliance standards. That investment includes installing new Tier IVi diesel refrigeration units on more than 700 boxcars in the first half of 2009. These units will reduce diesel particulate emissions by 50 percent over the previous refrigeration units.
“Our refrigerated-car customers, which include food companies in the meat, poultry, dairy, and frozen food categories in addition to produce, know they can rely on Union Pacific to deliver their products in a safe, reliable, and environmentally friendly manner,” said Lori Loschen, senior business director–agricultural products. “A train of 100 of our 64-foot refrigerated boxcars takes the equivalent of 350 to 400 trucks off America’s congested highways, which also reduces emissions because rail is almost four times more fuel-efficient than trucks.”
Union Pacific’s refrigerated boxcars use the latest technology, such as global positioning satellite monitoring, to track the railcars’ trip progress and to monitor temperature, fresh-air exchange, and diagnostics.
For further information, contact Tom Lange at (402) 544-3560 or e-mail tomlange@up.com.
