Long Island freight trains get cleaner with $10.9 million investment

For many Long Islanders, freight trains are easy to miss. Operating largely during midday and late-night hours on the same tracks used by the Long Island Rail Road, they quietly haul heavy loads that help keep stores, businesses and supply chains moving. That largely unseen network is about to get cleaner. New York Atlantic Railway has secured a $10.9 million public-private investment to upgrade four locomotives with Tier 4 emissions technology, the strictest U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standard for diesel locomotives. The investment includes a $6.5 million federal Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant, $2 million from New York state and $2.4 million from NYA. The project is part of the railway’s goal of having a Tier 4-compliant fleet by 2030. The upgrades will replace engines and engine components and add new emissions technology, said NYA President Marlon Taylor. The four locomotives operate throughout NYA’s territory, including Brooklyn,