President Preckwinkle Speaks at Celebration of Union Pacific Railroad in Illinois

President Preckwinkle, along with Bob Turner, Senior Vice President, Union Pacific Railroad, Mike Iden, General Director, Union Pacific Railroad, other distinguished guests, elected officials and a large audience, came out  to celebrate the Chicago unveiling of the Union Pacific Genset Switcher.  Also in attendance were Cook County Commmissioner  Joan Murphy and Herman Brewer, Bureau Chief, Cook County Bureau of Economic Development, along with other state , federal and railroad officials.

This ultra-low emitting locomotive was developed by Union Pacific, and is part of the railroad’s ongoing efforts to continue reducing air emissions in cooperation with federal, state and local environmental agencies.  The new 2,000-horsepower locomotives are called generator-set or “Genset” switchers and are powered by three 667-horsepower ultra-low-emission U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certified off-road Tier-3 diesel engines. 

In her remarks, President Preckwinkle referred to Chicago and Cook County as the hub of the railroad industry in the United States.  She reaffirmed her strong support of environmentally friendly rail transportation in Cook County and the importance of infrastructure investments. 

Union Pacific is a strong partner with Chicago, along with Cook County, and  Illinois, where they employ 4,035 residents and have 2,201 miles of track. In the Chicago terminal alone, they operate 400 freight trains, 200 Metra passenger trains and six rail yards.  Union Pacific is celebrating their 150th Anniversary this year. 

For more information, please go to the Union Pacific Railroad press release at: http://www.uprr.com/newsinfo/releases/environment/2012/1212_genset.shtml

To learn more about Union Pacific Railroad or the Genset locomotives, please go to their website at: www.up.com