183 Tons of Emissions Avoided: A Class 1 Railroad’s Success with NexSys

Rail operators today are under mounting pressure to improve both operational efficiency and environmental performance. This Class 1 railroad was no exception. Despite operating a large fleet of locomotives across diverse routes and weather conditions, the railroad faced several persistent challenges:

Excessive Idling and Fuel Waste

Many locomotives were idling for extended periods, often unnecessarily, leading to significant fuel consumption, increased emissions, and wasted operating hours.

Rising Fuel Costs and Tighter Budgets

With fluctuating fuel prices, even small inefficiencies in fuel management had a sizable impact on operating costs, putting pressure on budgets and margins.

Lack of Automation in Legacy Systems

The existing locomotive control systems lacked the automation needed to manage engine shutdowns and restarts intelligently. Manual practices and inconsistent crew responses further compounded inefficiencies.

Environmental and Regulatory Pressure

With growing attention on sustainability and stricter emission regulations, the railroad needed a solution that could deliver immediate, reportable environmental improvements across a large and aging fleet.

Limited Data Visibility for Decision-Making

Without access to accurate, real-time performance and fuel data, it was difficult for operations and maintenance teams to monitor idling behavior, track fuel savings, or prioritize fleet-level improvements.

The railroad recognized that to make meaningful progress, they needed a proven, scalable solution that could reduce emissions, cut fuel use, and provide the data foundation for smarter, more sustainable operations, all without replacing their existing locomotives.

To address its fuel and emissions challenges, the Class 1 railroad deployed NexSys, ZTR’s advanced locomotive control system, across a portion of its active fleet. NexSys is a microprocessor-based system designed to bring modern intelligence and control to legacy locomotives without the need for costly replacements.

At the core of this deployment was SmartStart Automatic Engine Stop-Start (AESS) technology, integrated directly within NexSys. This proven solution monitors critical locomotive parameters such as engine temperature, battery voltage, brake pressure, and ambient conditions and uses that data to make intelligent decisions about when to shut down or restart the engine.

Key aspects of the solution included:

• Automated Idling Control: Instead of leaving locomotives running at idle for hours, SmartStart enabled automated shutdowns during periods of inactivity. The system ensured reliable restarts based on predefined safety thresholds, minimizing human error and avoiding unnecessary fuel burn.
• Seamless Onboard Integration: NexSys integrated with existing locomotive systems without requiring extensive reconfiguration. It connected to the railroad’s existing onboard network, enabling smooth deployment across varied locomotive models.
• Real-Time Monitoring and Diagnostics: With NexSys, the railroad gained access to near real-time data on fuel usage, idle time, engine performance, and fault diagnostics. This data empowered operations and maintenance teams to make informed decisions and identify optimization opportunities.
• Remote Connectivity via Vision Platform: Through integration with the ZTR Vision platform, teams could remotely monitor the fleet, analyze trends, and receive alerts—enabling proactive management and performance tracking from any location.
• Scalable Architecture: NexSys provided the flexibility to scale across additional locomotives and accommodate future upgrades, such as advanced analytics, low idle capabilities, or integration with event recorders.

By combining automation, connectivity, and actionable insights, the railroad turned NexSys into a powerful tool for reducing costs and emissions while setting a strong foundation for long-term modernization.

The implementation of NexSys with integrated SmartStart AESS delivered measurable, fleet-wide improvements in both fuel efficiency and environmental performance. The solution addressed long-standing operational inefficiencies and enabled smarter locomotive management, all with a strong return on investment.

🌍 Environmental Gains

In just one year, the Class 1 railroad successfully avoided 183 tons of emissions, including:

• 147 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx) – a major contributor to air pollution and smog.
• 25 tons of carbon monoxide (CO) – a byproduct of incomplete fuel combustion.
• 8 tons of hydrocarbons (HC) – key pollutants linked to ozone formation.
• 3 tons of particulate matter (PM10) – microscopic particles harmful to respiratory health.

These reductions were driven largely by NexSys’s ability to eliminate excessive idling and reduce overall engine runtime, contributing directly to the railroad’s sustainability goals and improving compliance with environmental regulations.

⛽ Fuel Savings

By automating shutdowns and restarts, NexSys helped save up to 8,000 gallons (30,000 liters) of fuel per locomotive annually. This not only lowered direct fuel costs but also reduced the overall energy footprint of operations. Across a multi-locomotive deployment, these savings translated into hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

⚙️ Operational Efficiency

With real-time visibility into idle time, fuel consumption, and locomotive health, crews and managers could:

• Monitor performance remotely
• Identify high-idle locomotives
• Optimize crew practices
• Schedule maintenance based on real-world usage, not fixed intervals

This proactive approach minimized downtime, reduced unnecessary servicing, and improved overall fleet utilization.

📈 Data-Driven Decisions

Through integration with the ZTR Vision platform, decision-makers gained access to rich analytics and trends. They were able to track improvements over time, report performance gains to internal stakeholders, and justify continued investments in efficiency-enhancing technologies.