MTA Metro-North Railroad, beleaguered by accidents, oversights, and relentless negative media coverage during the past 12 months, offered some good news to the public on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014, as it was recognized for its energy savings efforts in Grand Central Terminal.
Metro-North was honored Tuesday at the first "BuildSmart NY Innovators Summit," held in Albany, N.Y.
The railroad "replaced or upgraded chillers, cooling towers, fans, compressors, air handlers, and an extensive steam distribution system," it said. "The most complex component entailed the cooling system replacement. This required transporting equipment by rail out of and into, the underbelly of GCT, and placement of four cooling towers on the roof. The towers were swung by crane from 42nd Street over the iconic statue of Mercury and a priceless Tiffany clock."
The $23.4 million project is estimated to save between $3.3 million and $5.5 million annually, offering a return on investment in four-to-seven years, well within accepted investment rates in the private sector. Money saved will be used to repay the New York Power Authority, identified as "Metro-North's partner" for the project, within 11 years.
"The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's four-year energy efficiency project is going to reap benefits for Grand Central for decades to come," said MTA Chairman Thomas F. Prendergast. "We are saving energy and reducing carbon emissions on both electric and steam usage with new, efficient, low-maintenance equipment throughout the Terminal. All this utility infrastructure —light fixtures, pumps, chillers, cooling towers, compressors, air handlers, smart meters, thousands of feet of high-pressure steam pipes, and the like— was installed at no upfront cost to Metro-North."