The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), part of the Teamsters Rail Conference, celebrated Earth Day today by unveiling a more efficient locomotive diesel engine for Amtrak that will also have cleaner emissions. The project was a collaboration between the BLET and Amtrak and the Environmental Protection Agency. The event took place at Union Station in Washington, D.C.

“Long-term exposure to diesel emissions has proven health consequences for railroad workers. Mitigating the long-term health impacts of diesel emissions on our members and railroad workers is core of this project.” said Herbert Harris Jr., Chairman of the D.C. State Legislative Board of the BLET. “This ceremony is the culmination of five years of dedication to the health of future generations of railroad workers and children throughout the region.” 

The new GenSet locomotives will meet EPA – Tier IV engines standards a year in advance of their 2015 implementation. The GenSet locomotives will provide fuel and operation cost savings and produce significant reductions in particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions. 

“We have sought to include the health needs of railroad workers with those of the whole community, in creating an increasingly cleaner and healthier Washington Metropolitan area,” said Karl F. Edler, Local Chairman of BLET Division 482.

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