The first of 300 China Mainline Locomotives arrived in China on Sept. 1. The locomotive is shown awaiting shipping at the GE plant in Erie. The diesel engine for the locomotive was built at Grove City's GE plant.

GROVE CITY — GE Transportation delivered the first China Mainline Locomotive, which was partially constructed in Grove City, to the Tianjin Port in Tianjin, China, on Sept. 1, the company said.

Stephan Koller, GE Transportation communications manager, said the Grove City plant played an integral role in manufacturing the train.

"Grove City is contributing the heart of the locomotive, which is the diesel engine," Koller said. "It's really the most powerful heavy haul locomotive available in the Chinese market."

Koller said GE Transportation in Grove City is the company's diesel engine manufacturing plant, and serves as a local representation of globalization.

"It's a really good example of how international trade and global growth provide good jobs here in Grove City and Pennsylvania," Koller said.

After being transferred to the Tanggu Depot for inspection, the locomotive made its way to Beijing.

Locomotive "CML 50001" is the first of 300 6,000-horsepower Evolution Series China Mainline Locomotives being delivered to the Ministry of Railways P.R. China. The contract was signed in October 2005 and is valued at $450 million.

GE Transportation, headquartered in Erie, will supply the 300 locomotives in an industrial cooperation with Qishuyan Locomotive and Rolling Stock Works, based in Changzhou, China.

"The result of an eight-year, $400 million development effort, the Evolution Series locomotive is the most technologically advanced, fuel-efficient and low emissions diesel-electric, heavy-haul locomotive to-date," said Lorenzo Simonelli, president and CEO of GE Transportation, in a news release. "GE Transportation's eco-friendly rail technology is an integral part of China's sustainable Infrastructure development."

Two Evolution Series locomotives have been shipped fully assembled from Erie to Beijing. The remaining 298 locomotives will either be manufactured as kits or parts at GE Transportation's U.S. headquarters facility, and later assembled in China by QSY. Kits began shipping on May 18, and the end of 2009 will mark the complete delivery of the kits.

Simonelli said the shipment is a great milestone for GE's rail business, which is capitalizing on growth opportunities around the globe.

"The Mainline project is critical to GE Transportation's success in China and presents us with the opportunity to become a long-term strategic partner to China's Ministry of Railways," he said in the release.

Other leading rail products by GE Transportation include modernization programs to overhaul aging locomotives and GE's Trip Optimizer. GE's Trip Optimizer is a fuel and emissions saving control system for locomotive operation.

It determines and follows the optimum speed profile over a trip or route to minimize fuel consumption within the constraints of maintaining the schedule, Koller said.

Using a sophisticated system of sensors, on-board computers, advanced mathematics algorithms, closed loop control and GPS, GE's Trip Optimizer improves railway and locomotive efficiency and reduces the fuel consumption as well as the emission reduction.