The Stadler-built EuroDual locomotive has been approved for operations in Austria, a process Swiss-based leasing company European Loc Pool (ELP) was significantly involved in.
ELP obtained the approval of the locomotive in Austria based on the 4th railway package (a set of changes to EU regulations aimed at liberalising the rail market). The EuroDual locomotive will now be able to operate on the OEBB network. The approval for border stations in Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic is expected later in 2021.
ELP and its service partner, Stadler Rail Services, has established a service network in Austria already, with the first two workshops based in Vienna and Linz. Further workshops will be added in the near future.
European Loc Pool has EuroDual locomotives in Germany. These are being converted for use in Austria. The declaration of conformity for the new EuroDual Germany-Austria vehicle type should arrive in the next few days.
This is a significant step in ELP’s goals of expanding the geographical operating area of its EuroDual locomotives. The leasing company is aiming to expand this operational area towards southeast Europe (the Balkans) and towards the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands in the coming years.
