GE Transportation says its next-generation freight locomotive meets the EPA’s stringent Tier 4 emission standards without requiring any type of aftertreatment — an industry first, according to the company.

The Tier 4 emission standards, which take effect in 2015 and call for the single largest emission reduction in the tiered program’s timeline, require manufacturers to lower locomotive diesel engines’ particulate emissions by 70 percent and NOx by 76 percent, compared to engines first introduced in 2005.

GE expects its Evolution Series Advance Power 4 locomotive will be the first mainline locomotive on the market to meet such standards with technological advancement, as opposed to using an a urea exhaust additive to meet the emission standards. This would require railroads to build an extensive network of fueling stations across North America.

Part of the ecomagination-certified Evolution Series, this locomotive will decrease emissions by more than 70 percent and will save railroad customers more than $1.5 billion in urea infrastructure and operational costs, the company says.

GE Transportation has invested $600 million in the Evolution Series since its introduction in 2005 and started field-testing a Tier 4 compliant locomotive along 100 miles of track through western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. According to the company, additional field-testing will take place in the near future.

GE unveiled the prototype for the Advance Power 4 last year.

Earlier this year, GE Marine said it successfully completed an emissions-testing program for the first 12V250 marine diesel engine that meets EPA Tier 4i and International Maritime Organization Tier III in-engine emission compliance. The company says its engine technology eliminates the need for a selective catalytic reduction system and storing or using urea aboard a vessel, thereby preserving cargo and tank space.