More and more countries are adopting strict regulations for pollutants, fine particulates and noise emissions produced by vehicles. The diesel-electric locomotive Eurorunner ER20 from Siemens fulfills these stringent environmental regulations. Its state-of-the-art, electronically-controlled diesel engine is indeed pulling its weight for the environment:

Compared to previous locomotives, this model offers substantially lower emission levels – producing approximately ten tons of fine particulates over its entire service life – and lessens the burden on the environment. The ER20 produces 70% fewer emissions than the older diesel locomotives. The fact that it uses 16% less diesel fuel is good news not only for the environment but for the operator as well.

People living near railroad tracks have less noise to put up with, as the ER20 is up to 13 dB(A) quieter than previous locomotives. In fact, its noise levels are often way below the permissible limits. To date, there are about 180 locomotives in operation in four countries.