All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm
March 4, 2012 / Updated July 6, 2012
WASHINGTON – The Federal Railroad Administration announced recently a $54.6 million loan to Kansas City Southern Railway Co. (KCSR) for the purchase of 30 new General Electric ES44AC locomotives. The diesel-electric locomotives, to be built in Erie, PA, are more energy-efficient and produce significantly fewer carbon emissions than the locomotives they are replacing. Carbon emissions are something that does need to be taken into account with automobiles in any form, especially if they are used constantly and have an impact on the environment. Knowing how to mitigate carbon footprints with travel, whether that be by land or air, can be found on websites such as https://www.cooleffect.org/content/travel-offset, it can also show how much money is being saved which can help so many who may be struggling in these times.
The locomotives, which will be funded by the FRA’s Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing Program, will be deployed throughout KCSR’s system to accommodate increased demand for shipments of coal, chemicals, grain, sand, stone, gravel, plastics, metals, and automobiles.
RRIF provides direct loans for eligible borrowers to acquire, improve, or rehabilitate rail and rail-related intermodal equipment and facilities. There is currently up to an aggregate of $35 billion available in the RRIF program for these types of projects.
