Metra investment in innovative, cleaner energy locomotives will be funded in part by this project which will procure locomotives that produce zero mobile emissions. This multi-year, multi-phase project will acquire state-of-the-art technologies and pilot their performance capabilities given Metra’s track profile and the Chicago region’s inclement weather patterns. Metra estimates that replacing one old diesel locomotive with a zero-emission locomotive will reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions by more than 30 tons per year, thus significantly reducing the agency’s greenhouse gas footprint and greatly improving air quality in the region. Funds programmed in 2022 will finance engineering and design services for yard facilities to prepare for the new technology.