(The following story by John D. Boyd appeared on the Journal of Commerce website on May 5, 2009.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Union Pacific Railroad saved 60 million gallons of diesel fuel in 2008, cutting the railroad’s expenses and significantly reducing its diesel emissions.
Wayne Kennedy, general director of fuel conservation at the railroad, wants to at least match that savings in fuel burn in 2009.
To reach that goal, UP is doing several things, Kennedy told The Journal of Commerce. For example, the railroad is pulling more railcars with fewer locomotives and applying those techniques to more of its operations.
UP also is enhancing a training and reward program for locomotive engineers who save fuel and applying stricter idling rules.