Canadian National Railway (CN) has signed on as the first customer for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) transportation fuel storage product from Westport Innovations Inc. that is tailored to the high-horsepower locomotive sector.
CN has ordered four tenders – the rail cars that store a locomotive's fuel – each of which can support two locomotives. These 40-foot Westport tenders can store more than 10,000 gallons of LNG, which provides a longer range than a diesel locomotive and minimizes refueling stops. Westport is working with cryogenic transportation equipment manufacturer INOXCVA on the tenders.
‘There is growing consensus around the enormous potential of using LNG as a fuel for locomotives, and there is a clear path for the industry to achieve this shift,’ says Nicholas Sonntag, executive vice president at Westport. ‘The Westport LNG tender leverages our substantial expertise in LNG storage, cryogenic systems and natural gas fuel delivery for mobile applications to create a product that will immediately help railroads to validate the value of LNG.’
The first tender is scheduled to be delivered to CN later this year.
