 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation Energy Mining |
| Founded | 1907; 118 years ago (1907) |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Rafael Santana (President andCEO)[1] |
| Products | Evolution Series Locomotive Dash Series Locomotive L250 Marine Engine 360 AC Drive Systems 752 DC Drilling Motor Wind Turbine Drive Systems V228 Series engine Durathon UPS |
| Revenue | US $8.2 Billion (2019) |
Number of employees | 27,000+ |
| Parent | Wabtec |
| Divisions | Rail Marine Mining Drilling Wind Stationary Power Energy Storage |
| Website | www |
GE Transportation is adivision ofWabtec. It was known asGE Rail and owned byGeneral Electric until sold toWabtec on February 25, 2019. The organization manufactures equipment for therailroad, marine, mining, drilling and energy generation industries. The company was founded in 1907. It is headquartered inPittsburgh,Pennsylvania, while its main manufacturing facility is located inErie, Pennsylvania. Locomotives are assembled at the Erie plant, while engine manufacturing takes place inGrove City, Pennsylvania.[2] In May 2011, the company announced plans to build a second locomotive factory inFort Worth, Texas, which opened in January 2013.
GE Transportation is the largest producer ofdiesel–electric locomotives for bothfreight andpassenger applications in North America, believed to hold up to a 70% market share of that market.[3] The only other significant competitor isCaterpillar-ownedElectro-Motive Diesel, holding an approximate 30% market share.[4]
GE Transportation also produces related products, such asrailroad signaling equipment, and parts for locomotives andrailroad cars, as well as providing repair services for GE and other locomotives. Current locomotives in major production include theGE Evolution Series; for a complete listing, see thelist of GE locomotives.
GE produced itsfirst locomotive in 1912, and continued to produceswitcher locomotives through the 1920s and 30s, while also producing electrical equipment for diesel engines from other manufacturers. Heavy involvement in main-line rail transportation began with a partnership withALCo in 1940. ALCo had been the second-largest producer of steam locomotives, and was moving into diesel traction, but needed help to compete with the newly-emergentGM Electro-Motive Division. In the partnership, ALCo built the locomotive bodies andprime movers, while GE supplied the electrical gear as well as marketing and servicing infrastructure.
At first, the partnership was reasonably successful, producing the popular RS-1 road switcher, but by 1950Alco-GE was struggling to keep up with EMD. In 1953, GE dissolved their partnership with ALCo and took over thegas turbine–electric venture that had started series production the previous year. In 1956 GE launched theUniversal Series, which succeeded in establishing them as the main competitor to EMD. The subsequentDash 7 Series failed to build market share, however theDash 8 Series did better and by the end of the 1990s theDash 9 Series established a market lead which theEvolution Series extended.
In the spring of 2007, GE Transportation Systems rolled out a prototypehybriddiesel–electric locomotive to increasefuel efficiency and reduce emissions. In September 2010, GE Transportation announced plans to commercialise a hybrid design by 2014–15.[5]
On July 27, 2017, GE Transportation announced that all production of locomotives would move fromErie, Pennsylvania, toFort Worth, Texas, by the end of 2018.[6] However, following the merger with Wabtec, the Erie plant remained open as operations from the formerMotivePower plant inBoise, Idaho, were consolidated at Erie.[7][8]
In November 2015, French multinationalAlstom, which now specialises in rail, acquired GE Transportation's Signaling & Train Control division.[9]
On November 12, 2017, GE announced they would sell or spinoff the Transportation Division.[10]
In addition to the railroad industry, GE Transportation, also serves the following industries: Marine, Mining, Stationary Power, Drilling, and Drivetrain Technologies (wind gear boxes).
On May 21, 2018, GE andWabtec announced that GE Transportation, valued at $11.1 billion, would be divested from GE and subsequently merged with Wabtec in aReverse Morris Trust transaction by early 2019.[11] Upon completion on February 25, 2019, the merged company was 50.8% owned by Wabtec shareholders, with GE shareholders owning 24.3% and GE itself owning 24.9%; GE also received $2.9 billion in cash.[11][12]
In addition to railroad locomotives and equipment, GE Transportation Systems also produces largeelectric motors and propulsion systems for themining,oil drilling, andwind turbine industries. GE also provides medium-sized, medium-speed diesel engines for several smaller vessels, mostly tugboats and other similarly-sizedvessels. These marine engines are marinized versions of their locomotive engines.
GE’s battery business serves the rail, marine, telecommunications and energy sectors, including new smart grid technology.[13][14]
GE's Durathon battery production takes place at their facility inSchenectady, New York.
A battery locomotive is in development as of 2020.[needs update][citation needed]
On November 13, 2020, GE sent out its first battery electric locomotive numbered 3000 to the BNSF Railway for testing on its mainline in California between Stockton and Barstow, California. It underwent various tests throughout 2021 to see the feasibility of a fully battery powered locomotive on the California main lines[15][needs update]
Hamilton said Electro-Motive has about 30% of the North American market...
