GE Transportation has announced that the first two of a 30 unit order of GE’s newest PowerHaul Series freight locomotives has been shipped to  Freightliner in the UK.

The PowerHaul Series locomotive represents GE Transportation’s first entry to the U.K. and European marketplace.

“The PowerHaul Series is GE’s most technologically advanced, fuel-efficient and low-emissions diesel-electric freight locomotive to date,” said Lorenzo Simonelli, President and CEO of GE Transportation. “Fuel-efficiency delivers a real competitive advantage to our railway customers around the world as they strive to minimize their carbon footprint.”

The 129-ton PowerHaul Series locomotive is designed to generate more horsepower and tractive effort while lowering fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than locomotives currently in use. The locomotive features several leading technologies to achieve this performance including the new V16-cylinder, twin-turbo PowerHaul Series engine- a product of ecomaginationSM. Ecomagination is a GE-wide initiative to help meet customer demand for more energy-efficient products.

This 3,700-horsepower engine is EU Stage IIIa emissions certified. Combined with other technologies the engine is projected to reduce PowerHaul locomotive fuel use by approximately 9% compared to current operating fleet averages. This fuel savings also will reduce GHG emissions over a typical duty cycle and overall operating costs.

“We chose GE’s PowerHaul locomotive to help Freightliner find new ways to increase capacity on our congested freight network, and maintain our performance promise to our customers for many years to come,” said Peter Maybury, CEO of Freightliner Group Ltd. “I am very proud of this partnership. The development team has gone way beyond just meeting standard compliance by designing and delivering innovative solutions to challenges such as increasing hauling capacity and fuel savings as well as reducing our carbon emissions.”