'Green' trains chug into Avon

CSX Transportation unveiled two trains called GenSet Locomotives Thursday afternoon. They said the trains will help reduce pollution and will help to bring in cleaner air to the town of Avon and surrounding areas.

The Avon Yard is where the locomotives will stay full-time.

Bob Sullivan, director of corporate communications, insisted the locomotives are good for the environment.

“It reduces fuel usage, employees like them and they are effective and efficient in the operation,” said Sullivan.

CSX Transportation is the first railroad in Indiana to utilize GenSet Locomotives.

Sullivan said, “Nitrous oxide and particulate matter emissions will reduce by 80 percent and carbon dioxide emissions by up to 50 percent."

Not only will it reduce fuel consumption and emissions, the new locomotives are also a lot quieter.

Carl Gerhardstein, director of environmental systems with CSX transportation, said reduction in the noise levels is about 80-percent compared to the traditional locomotive engines.

The new locomotives use three small engines as opposed to one large engine that runs constantly. The smaller engines are more fuel efficient.

“Were seeing about a 25 percent reduction in fuel use compared to a more traditional single-engine locomotive compared to a three-engine one,” said Gerhardstein.

Sullivan said, “(The new locomotives) are doing everything we want. They are getting the job done. They are doing it in a fuel efficient way. They’re doing it with reduced emissions and they are doing it in a quieter way and our employees seem to like working with them as well. So to us, it's an ideal situation”