Locomotive Emissions Regulations to reduce air pollutants

June 28, 2017              Ottawa              Transport Canada

The Government of Canada is committed to protecting our air quality and ensuring Canadians have healthy communities in which to live, work and raise their families.

The Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport, today announced new regulations to reduce air pollutants emissions from railway locomotives that harm our health and the environment.

The Locomotive Emissions Regulations, which were published today in the Canada Gazette, Part II, were developed under the Railway Safety Act. The Regulations will limit harmful emissions from locomotives operated by railway companies under federal jurisdiction through mandatory emission standards and reduced idling.

These Regulations align with those of the United States, which was one of the goals of the Canada-U.S. Regulatory Cooperation Council Locomotive Emissions Initiative.

The regulations support the Government of Canada’s efforts to transition to a greener transportation sector and to advance green technologies.

Complementing these new regulations, ten research projects at Canadian universities will receive funding under the Clean Rail Academic Grant Program. This program provides federal funds to academic research programs developing technologies and practices that aim to reduce air emissions from the rail sector. Each research project will receive a grant of $25,000. Through this Program, Transport Canada will advance research into innovations that further address air emissions from the rail sector.