A Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) facility, the Talleyrand Marine Terminal, is soon to introduce an eco-friendly locomotive into its service fleet. This locomotive is part of a batch of eight nationwide that is undergoing a conversion process from diesel-powered to battery-powered.
The transformation is made possible thanks to funding from Watco Rail Services, a company based in Kansas, and a grant from the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
The US DOT’s FRA awarded Watco, through its sponsor, the Kansas Department of Transportation, US$15.7 million to convert the locomotives.
These locomotives will find application across Watco’s short-line railroads equipped with switching capabilities, with one of them set to serve the JAXPORT Terminal Railroad (JXPT) in Jacksonville.
The new locomotive servicing Jacksonville will arrive in about two years and will replace an older diesel-powered unit. The upgrades will improve system and service performance while building resilience through reductions in emissions and maintenance expenses.
“The transportation and logistics industries are continuously making improvements toward cleaner and greener methods to move cargo,” said JAXPORT chief commercial officer Robert Peek.
