Rail supplier news from Progress Rail and Stacy Witbeck

Progress Rail and energy and metals company Fortescue yesterday marked the delivery of two EMD® SD70J-BB battery-electric locomotives (BELs) at a ceremony in Port Hedland, Western Australia. Each eight-axle BEL is capable of providing 1,100 kilonewtons of tractive effort and 14.5 megawatt-hours of onboard energy, according to a Progress Rail press release. The locomotives are built to support Fortescue’s demanding iron ore operations in Western Australia, transporting ore between mine sites to port infrastructure. Powered by renewable electricity through Fortescue’s Pilbara Energy Connect network, each BEL is expected to eliminate the consumption of 264,172 gallons of diesel per locomotive per year. The units are designed to recover 40% to 60% of energy through regenerative braking and support high power charging up to 2.8 megawatts. Additionally, the locomotives are equipped with Progress Rail’s advanced technology suite — an intelligent, connected ecosystem of products designed to elevate performance within the rail network.

Stacy Witbeck has been hired by the Port of Long Beach in California to demolish the Shoemaker Bridge ramps over the Long Beach Freeway to make way for future utility and rail infrastructure work on the Pier B on-dock rail support facility program. The demolition is the fourth in a series of 10 construction projects that make up the port’s $1.8 billion program to expand and modernize the existing Pier B rail facility. The new facility will enable the port to triple the volume of containerized cargo that moves to and from its terminals by on-dock rail, reducing truck traffic. Stacy Witbeck was awarded a $22 million contract to demolish and remove the Ninth and 10th street ramps over the freeway that connect to Shoemaker Bridge. The work is slated to begin later this year and be completed in mid-2027, port officials posted on the port's website.