Norfolk Southern Corporation has completed the installation of five additional new diesel-electric hybrid overhead gantry cranes at Chicago’s Lander’s and Atlanta’s Inman intermodal terminals. The fuel-efficient cranes further the company’s sustainability efforts by increasing fuel efficiency in terminal operations and reducing air emissions.

The company first introduced five hybrid Konecranes into its operations in 2021 at its 47th Street intermodal facility in Chicago. The technology used in the cranes helps to reduce the amount of fuel used while moving freight. The hybrid cranes are operated with electrical power from a battery and a diesel generator. During normal use, power is drawn exclusively from the battery. Energy from braking is stored and then used to recharge the battery. During peak use, power is drawn from the battery and diesel generator in parallel.

The 60-foot-tall cranes are designed to work over one or two rail tracks along with two truck lanes at rail yards that serve the Chicago and Atlanta areas. Crane operators use computer tracking to locate a container and maneuver the lifting machinery to move containers from rail to truck, and vice-versa.

The company’s long-term goal is to convert its remaining 58 traditional overhead gantry cranes, located at numerous facilities across its 22-state network, to hybrid power or fully electric over the next decade. Through this conversion Norfolk Southern estimates that it could achieve approximately 30 million gallons of fuel savings and reduce over 300,000 metric tons of emissions over the preceding 20 years, when all of its cranes are fully replaced.

This project contributes to the company’s overall carbon reduction solutions as outlined in Norfolk Southern’s 2021 Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) report.

-via Press Release