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Union Pacific Launches Battery-Electric Locomotive Field Tests in Southern California

Union Pacific has begun testing two Wabtec FLXdrive battery-electric locomotives in Southern California, with two additional units arriving in October to complete a four-unit pilot program. The locomotives will operate in switching and local-customer service within the greater Los Angeles area, providing operational data on performance and reliability in demanding yard environments. Each unit carries 7 megawatt-hours of energy storage powered by roughly 7,000 battery cells. Union Pacific selected Southern California's congested rail yards and port-related supply chains to evaluate whether battery power can manage the repeated acceleration, braking and idle patterns of terminal operations. Union Pacific, which operates across 23 western states and serves nearly 7,300 communities, framed the initiative as part of its modernization efforts and exploration of emissions-reduction technologies. Wabtec expects the real-world deployment will provide insights to refine and potentially expand the technology.