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Two Wabtec FLXDrive battery-electric locomotives, each with 4,400 horsepower and a 7-megawatt-hour battery pack, have demonstrated their ability to operate in iron ore transport after about a year of operation at the Jimblebar mine. BHP plans to compare this technology with Progress Rail locomotives in the same operating environment.
A CleanTechnica analysis argues that an HDR study commissioned by the Association of American Railroads measures the cost of electrifying most of the U.S. rail network, but does not answer the more important economic question: which corridors should be electrified first? The article compares this approach with the CURRENT framework, which examines phased solutions including battery-electric trains and dual-mode vehicles.