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Wabtec Info
MRS Orders 30 Wabtec Evolution Series Locomotives
MRS Logística (MRSA-MB) and Wabtec Corporation (NYSE: WAB) announced an agreement for 30 new Evolution Series locomotives.
The deal is valued at approximately R$500 million with the first deliveries scheduled for 2024. The purchase is part of MRS’s railway fleet renewal strategy and reinforces the almost 30-year relationship between the two companies.
According to Guilherme Segalla de Mello, president of MRS Logística, the fleet renewal is crucial for the company to improve efficiency and safety.
“By using a modern fleet of locomotives, we promote better energy efficiency in rail transport and contribute to improving our country’s logistics. The railway is already a more sustainable mode of transportation. Even so, we are making every effort to have the lowest possible gas emissions in our operations, thus contributing to sustainable development. This order is aligned with the regulatory commitments assumed by MRS with the Federal Government, in combined efforts between the public and private sectors. It generates more efficiency for the intermodal transportation and promotes the railway industry,” he states.
The ES44ACi's advanced technology aligns with the global push towards more sustainable practices. The locomotive aims to provide emissions reductions compared to its predecessor, the AC4400. The high-strength materials used in production also significantly increase diesel engine overhaul intervals, reducing operating costs throughout the locomotive's lifecycle.
“These cutting-edge ES44ACi locomotives offer high performance and greater reliability, as well as reduced CO2 emissions,” says Danilo Miyasato, president and regional leader of Wabtec Latin America. “This long-term contract highlights our vision of a greener railway network for Brazil.”
Launched in 2022, the ES44ACi model locomotives are equipped with Evolution Series diesel engines, which produce 4,500 horsepower with just 12 cylinders. The electronic four-stroke internal combustion engine with turbocharging provides greater energy efficiency and lower emissions, thanks to a design focused on the thermal efficiency of combustion combined with a double intake air cooling system.
About MRS
MRS is a logistics operator that manages a 1,643 km railway network in the states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, a region that accounts for around half of Brazil's GDP. The company is among the best freight railways in the world, with production almost four times higher than that recorded in the 90s. The railway network connects regions producing mineral and agricultural commodities to some of the country's main industrial parks to the largest ports in the Southeast region, which generates a diversified transport operation, such as containers, steel, cement, bauxite, agricultural, coke, coal, and iron ore. Approximately 20% of everything Brazil exports and about a third of all cargo transported by trains in the country passes through MRS tracks.
www.wabteccorp.com.