UPDATE: Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific pilot test carbon-capturing rail car

Editor's note: This story has been updated to mention that Union Pacific Railroad is the first Class I to pilot test Remora’s locomotive exhaust carbon capture technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Norfolk Southern Railway has begun piloting the rail industry's first carbon-capturing rail car.

The Class I is working on the pilot with Remora, which retrofits locomotives and trucks with zero-backpressure carbon capture. The project involves placing a tender car behind a locomotive to scrub emissions, preventing them from entering the atmosphere.

The new technology is built to capture 70% of carbon dioxide and reduce other air pollutants by 90% without affecting the train’s power, NS officials said in a website post.

How does it work? Locomotive exhaust enters a containment system allowing CO2 to be stored as liquid and is easily offloaded when the locomotive refuels. The carbon is transported to end-users like concrete, fuel, and chemical producers, for purchase, NS officials said.

The first rail car could hit the tracks by late summer, with full production beginning a year later, NS officials said. The project is designed to help NS achieve its sustainability targets, including a 42% reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2034.

NS follows Union Pacific Railroad in pilot-testing Remora's groundbreaking locomotive exhaust carbon capture technology. UP is the first Class I to pilot test the technology, a UP spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

"While rail is already the most environmentally responsible way to move freight over land, this collaboration underscores our ongoing commitment to advancing sustainable solutions," they said.