SüdLeasing GmbH has ordered 20 Vectron multisystem locomotives from Siemens Mobility on behalf of SBB Cargo International.
The new locomotives will be equipped with Siemens Mobility’s XLoad package, which has been developed to improve traction performance and carry greater trailer loads. With this package, trains on the North-South Corridor will be able to operate using one four-axle locomotive, rather than two.
SBB Cargo International will lease the locomotives from SüdLeasing under a long-term rental plan. Siemens Mobility will be responsible for the maintenance of the locomotives, which will be delivered at the beginning of 2024.
“We are pleased about the further expansion of SBB Cargo International’s Vectron fleet and thank the company for their trust in us and in our locomotives. With this order, the number of Vectrons sold to Swiss customers has increased to over 100. Thanks to XLoad, the locomotives achieve tractive power previously not possible with four-axle locomotives. Our customer can use the locomotives even more efficiently in the Alpine region.”
The Vectron locomotives will travel at speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour on SBB Cargo’s transalpine routes. The locomotives have been approved for use in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
They will be equipped with the European Train Control System ETCS BL3 and all required national train control systems.
“The Vectron is the ideal locomotive for our transport operations, being interoperable between the ARA ports (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp) and Italy. With the optional feature XLoad, we will be able to run longer and heavier trains through the Alps in single traction. In many cases, one can even do without an otherwise obligatory lead locomotive. Since the weight of trains for combined freight traffic is limited by maximum permissible train lengths, there is no need to use a more cost-intensive six-axle locomotive.”
The Vectron model is currently approved for operation in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland. To date, Siemens Mobility has sold more than 1,400 Vectron locomotives to 62 customers.
