Sustainable Opportunities Summit - 2010

Mike Iden Bio

Michael Iden

Union Pacific Railroad

General Director – Car and Locomotive Engineering

Michael Iden is the General Director Car and Locomotive Engineering for Union Pacific Railroad, where he is responsible for new locomotive propulsion and emission technologies. Union Pacific operates the western world’s largest locomotive fleet (8,400 units). He is the railroad’s lead technical representative on locomotive emissions issues, working closely with locomotive and other technology manufacturers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and various other federal, state and local agencies.

In 2001, he started investigating ultra-low-emission diesel-battery hybrid technology for rail yard switching. Over the next several years, he managed the acquisition for Union Pacific of 21 hybrid switchers (currently the world’s largest fleet of hybrid locomotives).

In 2002 he initiated the concept of the ultra-low-emitting all-diesel multi-engine “genset” switching locomotive as an alternative to battery hybrids, and led the team which developed the prototype 1400 horsepower locomotive in 2005. Since then, Union Pacific has acquired a total of 163 genset switchers, with more on order. That technology is now being adopted by other US, Canadian and Southern American railroads.

Union Pacific won the Society of Automotive Engineers’ 2006 “Environmental Excellence in Transportation” award and a Calstart Blue Skies merit award in 2008 for developing and promoting genset locomotive technology. His other projects include field testing the US’ first older switching and road locomotives retrofitted with diesel particulate filters and oxidation catalysts.

In 2003, he was nominated for the Association of American Railroads’ annual Environmental Excellence award for his work in reducing locomotive emissions.

He joined Union Pacific in 1995, and was previously employed by the former-Chicago & North Western Transportation Company, the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors, and the Southern Railway. Michael holds a BS degree in mechanical engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and a master of management degree from Northwestern University, which he completed under a General Motors fellowship. He is a registered professional engineer in several states, and a federally-licensed locomotive engineer. He lives with his family in the Chicago area.

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