Kansas City Southern (KCS), a Class I railroad holding company, has ordered 50 new locomotives from GE Transportation for its subsidiaries in the United States and Mexico. The units will be produced at GE’s manufacturing plant in Fort Worth, Texas, during 2018 and delivered to Kansas City Southern Railway Company and Kansas City Southern de Mexico in 2019.

Some of the Tier 4 Evolution™ Series locomotives will be equipped with GE Transportation’s GoLINC™ platform, Trip Optimizer™ System and Distributed Power LOCOTROL® technologies. These systems optimise power distribution, train handling, brake control and fuel efficiency.

Jeffrey M. Songer, Executive Vice President and COO of KCS, said:

“KCS is pleased to have GE as our partner. This purchase will help us continue the modernization of our locomotive fleet and position KCS for future expanded volumes.”

Rafael Santana, President and CEO of GE Transportation, said:

“This agreement will expand our relationship with KCS, drive operational efficiency across their system, and further meet the needs of their future growth. Our leading Tier 4 locomotives will give KCS the productivity and reliability needed to move and grow with its customers.”

The volume of freight shipped by North American train companies in 2017 rose by 5% on previous years and growth is expected to continue in 2018. KCS has ordered the locomotives to ensure that its network can continue to compete in the improving market.